


Love, Death and Pirates

by linoheartjone



Category: GOT7, Stray Kids (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: ChanLix, Gay, JYP - Freeform, M/M, Magic, Mermaids, OT8, Piracy, Pirates, Yaoi, changjin - Freeform, kpop, minchan, minsung - Freeform, skz - Freeform, stray kids - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:53:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linoheartjone/pseuds/linoheartjone
Summary: The story takes place around 1700AD during the era of piracy when Han Jisung, the rebel prince, decides to escape from the kingdom and board a ship commanded by Lee Minho, a captain who called himself one of the most feared of the seven seas.Everything for the prince is complicated from the moment he realizes that he had not ended up on any ship, but on the ship of the son of the famous Captain Lee, whose own father, the King, had killed in cold blood years ago.Considering the fact that royalty and pirates were natural enemies, the story develops based on the fear of the prince and the vengeance of the ship's captain.Written by: moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish on SpiritFanficThis is just a translation. All credits to all users above.FANFIC OT8!
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	1. game over

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [História Love, Death and Pirates](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/707386) by moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish. 



> Written by: moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish on SpiritFanfic  
> This is just a translation. All credits to all users above.

> **Part l - Serendipity**

* * *

_"Serendipity is an acidental discovery that tend's to be everything that was needed."_

It was a stormy night. The waters of the seas were so high that they could knock down any small boat. The waves seemed to swallow the ocean itself. 

If it weren't for the anchor attached to the shore and the big ship named "Red Queen”, everyone on the crew would already be dead.

The entire crew was quietly below the first floor. Some even managed to sleep in the midst of the immense storm and deadly lightning and thunderstorms. Everyone except a young boy of at least fifteen. He was close to the ship's mast, holding on tight otherwise those strong winds would drag him across the ship's boards until they threw him into the sea. Despite being a water lover, that boy didn't know how to swim yet.

He was tall, but not very tall. His skin was a light brown tone, his eyes black and his hair totally dark if it weren't for the blond colored ends - he loved that color and had paid a lot of coins for it.

His vision was towards the wooden bridge that connected the ship only by an old board. With all that wind, he could barely see everything that was happening on the other side. The boy looked worried as he tried to spot any shadow of a certain person: his captain.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt fell on the water, it reflected in that windstorm and in all the dust it raised, causing the shadow of someone trying to reach the bridge to be seen.

\- Captain! - The boy shouted when he saw the man holding his extravagant hat firmly.

\- Im here, boy! - The man replied while walking as much as he could.

The boy noticed that something was wrong. The captain's other hand held something to his left chest. It was necessary that the man was very close and another ray fall, to illuminate the sight of the two and that's when he saw the captain's right hand covering his left chest; blood came out of that region in an uncontrolled way.

\- Im here. - The man smiled weakly and the boy looked at him, lost. His captain was bleeding right in front of him.

\- Somebody call the doctor! - The young man shouted, but in the midst of so much wind and thunder, the crew was unable to hear.

\- No. - The captain denied and his body fell weakly to the ground, as if it were nothing. The boy held him with one hand while he sat on the floor and with the other hand he grabbed the mast.

His ship had started to rock due to the wind and waves. The rainwater started to fall harder and hit the faces of the two with a little force.

\- It's the end, boy. My time has come. - The man continued to talk while the boy placed his head on his thigh and quickly hugged his torso.

\- No. Captain! Hold on!

\- You can call me father now, Minho. - Without ceasing to smile, he touched his son's face who was only a young man and felt complete for a few moments.

\- No, Dad! Please! You still have a lot to fight in this waters. - Minho was now crying, but he didn't even noticed, because the rain kept falling, mixing with the salty tears.

\- No..no. - He denied it. He seemed certain of what he wanted. - Your time has come. This ship is now yours. Take my c-crew... - He choked on blood and splat out, watching as it mixed with the water on the board and blew with the wind to the other side of the ship. 

\- Calm! No. Don't say that!

\- The crew... - He continued even if his voice failed. - Get out of here before it's too late. Survive. Trust no one! Not even in the Crown. They are all traitors...

\- Did they do this to you? - Minho grounds his teeth in the middle of crying. His father was bleeding in front of him and he couldn't do anything else.

\- Yes. Don't trust them, kill them all! E-each one of them. - He spoke as loudly as he could as a last command as the captain.

\- Yes, father. I will avenge you. - He cried even more when he saw his father close his eyes and face to the side in responde of weakness. - Dad??

\- I-I love you. - That was all he said before he lost consciousness and his life practically "drips" thought that powder hole in his chest. The blood has stopped flowing because the man's heart stopped beating.

When the boy realized that his father had died in his arms, he screamed. He cried out in pain to everything he was feeling without being able to express it in words. This was his hero for many years. The man who raised him. His personal king. His father and also his captain. Now, he was dead.

When the storm passed, the crew left under the ship excited because all that noise was over. But unfortunately the happiness was short-lived for those men when they saw the captain's blood drain through the ship's wood. His son was still holding him, paralyzed.

It took them a long time to think about the great shit that was going on, but the other pirates understood and took the boy away from him along with his dead father. They hoisted the sails and raised the anchor back to get out of there as the captain's last wish.

His body was thrown into a deep part of the sea.

_"You served the sea, the sea will be delivered."_

Everyone on the crew dictated as the old pirate's body sank deeper and deeper into that immense blue.

The boy watched everything, close to the board. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but no sound came out of his mouth. His father's last words were still in his head. He was possessed in anger.

\- Sailor. - He listened when a familiar voice called him. This was the ship's chief mate, someone important too. The man was older than he was, almost thirty years old. He was strong, with the arms of a fighter, the shoulders of a swimmer and the intelligence of a politician.

\- Yes, chief officer? - He replied and wiped away any traces of tears on his face before turning and face the man. When he saw him, he noticed that he was holding the hat his father wore when he last saw him. There were even two feathers, colored purple and black, that were his father's favorites.

\- The Captain told me that when he left, he wanted you to replace him. - He raised his hat and Minho nodded. The mate placed the hat carefully on the boy's head and smiled when he saw how it looked.

\- How am I? - Minho smiled as soon as the hat was placed on his head. It was an honor to assume everything his father had worked to achieve for so many long years.

\- Welcome, Captain.

**[...] 10 years later**

**Golden Age of Piracy, AD 1700**

**ıllıllı Busan Bay ıllıllı**

With the sails hoisted and the large, heavy anchor being lowered by several men who turned the capstan without stopping a second until it descended on its own.

The captain was standing on his deck with the telescope aimed at the small, poor town to which they had just anchored.

A wide smile appeared on his lips to notice that nothing there had changed, except the people looking older and more and more miserable.

\- Captain. - A male voice called to the man and he lowered his spyglass to accompany his mate going up the deck stairs. - What are the orders?

The captain kept his smile on the man and turned his gaze to that city. He did not fail to notice the view of the king's castle and the distance he had from there. They were safe for now. At least he hadn't seen any royal guards or anyone who knew him. He retumed his gaze to his mate and then looked down the deck to the great wooden hall where his men anxiously awaited his orders. They were exhausted. It had been a long journey. Everyone was sweating in that sun, their faces darkened by the bronze and dirt that accumulated after so many weeks without rain. If the smart captain hadn't made an emergency stop at Busan to refuel, in a few days before they reached their destination, everyone would be dead.

\- Rest first, sailors. - His voice was calm. He was aware of the situation with his subordinates. He looked into each other's eyes and felt empathy at that moment. They were all boys his age, at least twenty to thirty, some even younger. - You deserve a rest after what we went through in Malacca. But remember, we need to refuel as well and recruit new mens. Look for lost youth ... beggars ... as long as they are not over thirty.

\- Yes, sir! - In unison, they all responded firmly to the captain's orders.

\- Be smart and we'll leave here early tomorrow! - He smiled at what he had said, satisfying what his men wanted to hear. - Now, go.

The Captain then let them out. All the young men dressed only in their old, torn white shirts, many as a result of fights or even in the midst of shootings. His mate left the deck just after them, beside the captain who had just pulled a tiny dark brown glass container out of his pocket and opened the lid.

\- What is that? - The mate looked at the captain confused when he ingested the liquid inside that container and made a face.

\- Rum, my dear friend! The good ones. - The Captain smiled shortly after and put the glass back in his pants pocket. - A little gift i found on that Malacca pirate. It's a good one! - The boy spoke already seeming to be dizzy in such a short time after drinking the alcohol.

\- Minho, you can't drink everything you see. - The mate scolded him as he left the board and went to the bridge with his captain right behind him. - What if it was poison??

\- Then I would die. - He shrugged as if it was nothing much and laughed soon after.

After leaving that small bridge, the captain stopped and put his hands on his waist, looking at every detail of that city that he would not have returned to if it had not been extremely necessary. He took a deep breath of that air and let it out with regret in his conscience due to some unpleasant memories.

\- What are you going to do now sir?

\- Enjoy. - Before the air got any tenser more, Minho smiled, taking advantage of the few sober seconds he had left. - There's a great bar in the corner. - He walked right in the direction he had indicated. It was an old, wooden house. You could hear the loud music being played from the inside. It wasn't even night, but the party in that place never ended and it was all that Minho needed.

He went to the door and pushed hard, knocking on the other side of the wall. With the noise made, many of the men and women who were there stared at the pirate, wondering who he was to have been so bold. No one knew his face, except his name.

Captain Lee was for a long time feared everywhere he passed for leaving damage in cities. If he wanted a city to sink with the kingdom, he would do it without any mercy. The crew itself believed that he was blessed by the gods, while others claimed to be involved in the witches' black magic.

That was the fame of Minho's father before his death.

Minho was almost different from his father. He was smart, he had combat skills not seen in any captain - his father had also been a great mentor. He could also be just another drunk like any other pirate, however, Minho knew how to recognize the efforts of his men and the value of innocent people. He had pity on those who deserved to be saved. For that reason, his sailors respected him almost at the level of a god or a source of hope in the midst of a strong storm on the high seas. Minho was the almost perfect balance of justice.

In spite of that, at that moment, only at that moment, all the brave captain wanted was to take all the glasses of rum that served him and erase the memory of his dead father in his arms. Minho hated that place, hated that kingdom and all filthy royalty. The bleeding in the father's chest did not kill him. The Crown killed him. No mercy for them.

When he walked towards the counter, the pirate was seen by everyone there, including some of his men who were already sinking in drinks. Minho sat on the bench and ordered the old man who answered him behind the counter. He looked back again and everyone continued to stare at him.

\- What are you looking at? Go on! - He spoke furiously. Totally changing the tone of voice he had recently when he talked to his mate. Despite the order, people looked scared. The whispers started to roll everywhere and that only irritated him even more. Minho pulled his pistol from his belt and unlocked it, pointing in the direction of the musicians in the corner of the bar. - I told you to continue!

The men, frightened, took their violins back and the pianist turned to his instrument, not taking to long to play the first notes of a happy song for everyone to drink. The other people around, turned their attention to the tables and the few women present continued to seduce some of the merchants who were there. Then, finally, the captain was able to put his pistol away and turn to the counter waiting for his drink.

Right there at the counter, right next to the captain, another young man was sitting with his hands on the wooden surface. When the old attendant poured his glass full of alcohol, without delay, the boy took the container and brought it to his mouth. Despite the expression of someone who had not enjoyed the taste, he tapped the glass on the table and asked for more.

The pirate was curious. He seemed to be someone much younger than him. The boy wore old rags and covered his head with dark and dirty cloths just like his face. To be someone like that, it was probably some prisoner who had escaped and tried to hide from the guards. Minho had to ask. It could be a good recruit for his crew.

\- You look so young and finished. - Minho dared to speak as soon as it was served, swallowing the liquid from the glass in half, before it was full.

\- You don't know anything about me, filthy pirate. - The boy rolled his eyes and drank everything again. - More. - He spoke to the old man when he left the glass on the table and waited to be served again.

\- Fair. - He spoke referring to the way he had been called and then turned the rest of the rum in the glass down his throat. - I'm Captain Lee Minho. - He introduced himself waiting for the young man to speak to him.

\- Jisung. - He spoke short and direct, still not looking at the captain.

\- Jisung? Just Jisung? No last name? What did you happen to do? Robbed a bank, got caught and now escaped from prison? - He laughed when he said that. The pirate took his glass that had already been served and drank all the liquid this time, ignoring the buming sensation in his throat.

\- It's none of your business! - The boy stood up looking ready to fight, bending over and extending his fists.

Once again the music stopped. Everyone looked at where the loud, imitated voice came from. The captain smirked. Alcohol was beginning to take effect in his system and he was no longer sober to refuse to fight. All he loved most was a good bar fight - although he found it tedious, as he always ended up winning.

\- Do you happen to know who I am? - The captain stood up too, taking another sip of his precious rum and throwing his glass on the floor near his foot, listening to the shrill sound of the glass being broken. The people around were startied, but the man named Jisung didn't move a muscle.

\- And you, pirate? Do you know who I am? - Jisung dropped his right fist towards the captain's face with a speed almost difficult to follow in the eyes of the other spectators, but, even faster, the captain swerved to the left.

Without another word, the captain used his right fist and hit the boy in the face. Jisung staggered back a little dizzy, leaning on some stranger who pushed him back into the circle that formed around them. The boy angrily threw his fist at that pirate again, but unsurprisingly, he dodged and landed another punch back. Minho was fast, more than Jisung expected for a drunk pirate.

Once again he was thrown back and pushed back into the half wheel. Jisung felt his lower lip burn and assumed he had opened that place.

 _Damn it_ \- He thought when the trouble that would arise after he retumed to his home came to mind.

Minho smiled when he saw the blood on his lip start to come out slowly. That boy's face became redder with so few punches.

 _"Boring... again."_ Minho concluded when he realized that the boy was going to give up.

Jisung took a step back, tired of it. He was about to turn on his back when the captain said something that made him even more angry:

\- So weak.

His words were few, but they were enough to attract the laughter of every person present there. Jisung turned sharply in the direction of the captain without even thinking twice, raised his fist and hit the captain in the face, joining his strengh and anger in that punch.

This time, the captain was the one who staggered back and hit strangers. Uncomfortable with the touches, Minho stood up and moved his body in an attempt to remove all those unwanted hands that were about to push him back on top of Jisung. Suddenly, a single thin line of blood began to trickle from the captain's nose. He brought his finger over his upper lip and wiped it off. When he looked at that. Minho smiled too.

\- It had been a while since they made me bleed like that. - He spoke in a low voice and faced Jisung. He seemed to be afraid of what the captain would do next, but he was in an attack position: his fists still raised and his knees bent, his legs a little shaky and his feet were not sure whether to stay or run away. - Changbin.

The captain spoke suddenly, calling someone in the audience. Jisung looked confused when a man a little shorter than him, with dark hair, wearing a white shirt and long sleeves next to the tight, brown pants. Changbin was holding his gun on his belt and was ready to shoot if that was his captain's order.

\- Changbin, give the boy a sword. I want to see if you can really fight. - Minho ordered and the aforementioned sighed in disappointment for not having the honor of killing someone else.

\- Yes, Captain. - The shorter one took his hand from the pistol and took the sword from the belt, holding it by the hilt and throwing it in the direction of a confused Jisung.

With agility, Jisung took the sword as if it were nothing much and turned it between his fingers, impressing even the captain.

\- Hmm! For a little thief and premature alcoholic, you're great with a sword. I want to see if you can defeat me. - The captain smiled confidently, leaving his teeth exposed in an attempt to provoke his opponent.

\- l'm not a thief! - Jisung protested and raised his sword towards the captain. The sword would have hit Minho's head and split in half easily if he hadn't been quick and blocked the blade with his own sword, locking himself as well.

\- Nice try. - Minho praised and received a mocking smile from the boy.

That made Lee use his legs and kick Jisung in the abdomen, pushing the boy back and throwing him to the ground while freeing his sword from his and returning to the attack position.

The audience screamed when the captain did that, proving to be the best of the two.

\- Captain! Captain! Captain! - The short man, previously referred to as Changbin, shouted and made everyone repeat, boasting to the pirate.

Jisung got up again and put himself in an attack position, ready to face the pirate Minho again.

\- You do not give up. - The captain spoke and this time he advanced, moving his sword through the air diagonally towards the boy.

Jisung was also quick enough and held the blow with his sword. Minho advanced against Jisung and made him retreat without stopping to defend himself with that weapon. Every time the captain pointed the sword at his body, he deflected, and when the movements were diagonal, Jisung stopped them.

That boy, to the captain, seemed to have been trained by great swordsmen in Korea. Minho was impressed by his competitor's skill. Even trained pirates did not have the strength to catch a sword that came from the captain. Minho had also been trained. The father was a great swordsman and taught him each technique. Old Captain Lee always wanted that, when his son succeeded him, he became better than he.

Nobody in the seven seas had as many combat skills as that boy. This Jisung had his value and Minho wanted him in the crew at all costs. Somehow, he needed to convince him.

Jisung no matter how abruptly he retreated from the captain's blows with the sword, he never surrendered. He was an astute boy and knew very well how to win that fight.

When he was about to be pressed against the wall, Jisung ducked and dodged a blow from Minho's sword that came horizontally, ready to cut his waist and tear his intestines, if the captain wanted to. But that diversion made Jisung gain an advantage. He used his free left hand and clenched his fist, hitting the captain's unprotected abdomen and causing the man to pull back immediately.

Although surprised. Minho did not have much to react when without blinking, Jisung advanced with his sword on the captain and this time the pirate had to retreat the steps.

The audience was already crazy and anxious. That fight took longer than expected from a simple citizen with old rags from a bar and a highly trained pirate.

Minho was also fed up. He could not demonstrate to his men that he could be defeated. Jisung was good, but Minho was better and he knew it.

Even backing up, Lee used the sword with speed when hitting Jisung's sword. The blow and the force in which it was hit made Jisung's hand weak and it was all that Minho needed to make circles with his sword, “wrapping” it in the other's sword and throwing it on the ground.

Before Jisung could bend down, Minho pointed the sharp, shiny blade at his neck and smiled.

\- Game over.

Those were the captain's words when his sharp sword was pointed at the young man known as Jisung. The eyes of those who watched shone and their loud, drunken voices shouted in the name of the captain, including his crew present.

\- You won. - Jisung raised his hands up and admitted his defeat, but the captain may notice a hint of sarcasm in his voice, which was nothing new since, in addition to being drunk, the boy seemed the type who did not like outrage.

\- It's nothing new. - Minho lowered his sword and put it back on his belt, ending that fight at that very moment.

Gradually, the audience's attention turned to their tables and glasses of beer or whatever was there. Jisung turned around and covered his head with the cloth he was wearing and walked stowly towards the door. - Wait.

Minho walked right behind him. The captain could not deny that he was interested in the boy in terms of his combat skills. The boy, despite having heard the captain, continued on his way, leaving that little bar with Minho right behind him. He stepped on that dirt and muddy road, soiling the old black boots he was wearing again.

\- Hey you! - Minho insisted and only then, realizing that he would not stop following him, Jisung turned and went back to the captain.

\- What do you want, pirate? - He spoke with mockery in his voice, without any kind of empathy with the brunette in front of him.

\- Captain Lee Minho, please, but anyway, where did you learn to fight like that? You look like the type that crawis on the floor like that man. - He pointed to an old man in front of the bar who leaned against the wall of the place to stay upright, he was so drunk.

\- It's none of your business, I already said that. Are we done?

\- Uff! How grumpy. I'm usually called sulky. - He laughed at the way the kid was talking to him, but continued his words. - We need men on my crew. You have the necessary skills for what I need.

\- I don't want to. - Without even thinking more than once, Jisung refused while looking around looking worried, as if it was a risk that someone would notice him and a pirate there. Minho did not fail to notice that and perhaps it was his last chance to meet him.

\- Are you afraid to be seen? I'm pretty sure you're a thief. Ah. come on! Join me. - He insisted again and heard a sigh from the boy. - None of my men fight like you and nobody in all these seven seas besides me has those reflexes. Imagine how much wealth we can achieve together! Treasures, food, pleasure ... - He looked into Jisung's eyes and smiled in his own words when he realized that Jisung showed interest in stopping looking around and focusing on the captain.

Jisung considered that proposal for a few seconds. But he would never, ever in his life, join a pirate. He grew up in a world where that kind of people should be excluded from the face of the earth. His answer was the same as before.

\- No. And don't insist or I'll manage to kill you myself. - His voice was clear and serious, convincing even Minho that he would not come with him.

\- You know. - Minho said last and took steps back. It was such a waste to leave that boy with so many skills and just move on, but he couldn't force it. Whoever that thief was, he would not be part of his fleet of ships. - We will leave tomorrow after sunrise, in case you change your mind...

Jisung waited for the pirate to enter that bar again and then pulled a cloth from his pocket where he covered his face with it and continued on his way down the road. His goal was not to be seen by anyone until he was safe. The steps were quick enough to be quick, but slow enough to not suspect anyone.

He then passed the small village that stood in his way. The people there wore the same colors of clothes, in brown and white. The place was monochromatic and monotonous. There was misery and sadness on the face of anyone who looked into the eyes of that frightened boy when he passed between them and they ran into each other.

\- Excuse me. - That's what Jisung said when he hit a girl with a fruit basket. She almost didn't drop the basket, but she did not avoid cursing the boy in different names.

The path followed until Jisung ran into someone again, but this time he couldn't get past the person. He looked at whoever had beaten and his heart almost jumped out of his chest. The clothes were perfect suits designed just for that class. The serious eyes and the face showed dissatisfaction. There were three more men behind that one and they were all the same as the first.

\- Han Jisung. - The first man spoke.

\- Guard Kang. - Jisung had no choice but to discover his face when he was recognized by the Castle guards.

\- Your father, King Han wants to see you immediately. It's an order. - The guard spoke and then made way for Jisung to pass.

**ıllıllı Busan Bay ıllıllı**

  
**Han Royal Famity Castle**

  
\- Incompetent! Sloppy! Dishonor! That's what you are for your family, boy! - The King's loud voice echoed throughout that great castle hall. lt was a huge room from its walls to the length and width of the floor in shades of white that made the castle look “new”. A long red carpet made of the finest fabrics came from the entrance to the hall to the small stairs leading to the King's throne, centered in a corner of the place. There were two other thrones, one being from the queen and the other was the throne belonging to the prince. - Irresponsible!

\- Is it over? - With sarcasm, and a small smile on the side, Jisung said those words while wiping his mud-stained face with a small dark colored cloth.

He still wore his clothes to appear to be just some peasant. His father, the King, wore a huge purple robe, covering his other clothes below. The older man's features were irritated. His eyes already had crow's feet and wrinkles marked his own skin. The hair was slightly white, as if it were in between black. King Han hated it when his son acted rebellious like that, it was inappropriate behavior for his only heir.

\- How can you be like that? How do you want to govern and be a leader for these people? What the hell do you have in mind, Jisung? What is wrong with you?! Ah! Where did I go wrong... - A loud sigh was released by the tired king. He threw his head back and cursed his god for feeling he was paying for some damn sin.

\- There's nothing wrong with me. - Jisung said to himself in a sadder tone. His father was always like that to himself and he hated every second he had to hear things like that.

The castle, the kingdom, the throne and being the heir, thought more than anything in his life.

\- Tomorrow, Princess Min and her brother will be here. I demand your presence! - Already a litle more reassured, the King inquired and attracted Jisung's attention. The youngest stared at him and tried to guess behind those eyes what his father was up to. A princess right next to his coronation as a new heir...

\- Wait ... Wedding? Are you getting me married?! - Jisung practically shouted when asking, making it obvious that he didn't want that. His father nodded and Jisung shook his head several times. - No way! No fucking way!

\- Look at the mouth, boy! Don't forget that I'm still your king! - Scolded the stubbom son, but it didn't help.

\- You can't make me be you! I don't want any of this! Damn all that shit! - He threw the cloth that was wiping on the floor and left through a door in the left corner of the room, passing straight through the King's throne.

\- YOU CAN'T GET RID OF THIS, JISUNG! IT'S YOUR DUTY. - The King shouted so that Jisung could hear well from wherever he was.

Jisung ran as much as he could down the stairs until he reached his own room. He avoided talking to anyone on his way so they wouldn't see his eyes soaked with tears that just came down when he had already plopped down on his own bed.

His hands covered his eyes and he was crying softly, with no intention of being heard. If his mother were there, she would probably know what to say to him. But the queen was not. Jisung was alone again and had no choice.

_Unless..._

Jisung raised his face when that idea came to mind. It was risky, it was suicide and it was stupid.

But it was just what he had.

The crown was not what Jisung wanted from the beginning. He always followed the horrible decisions his father made and only saw him sink into the bad choices he made. The mother herself was a victim of this and that onty increased his hatred for King Han. A man full of ambition and without a heart.

For Jisung, he was not his father, he was just the man who had given birth to him but who never did anything but call him an heir and raise him trapped inside a castle.

Jisung wanted life out there. He wanted to know what the night was like, to feel the wind hit his face and venture outside those walls and all that unnecessary stewardship. Besides, his father wanted him to marry someone still so young and whose he didn't even have any feelings for. Jisung grew up listening to his mother talking about true love and wanted to at least have the chance to try it, who knows, maybe one day.

It was then that he rose from his bed and crouched close to her. On the underside of the furniture was a small travel bag he had left in an emergency - or as he called it in his head: emergency escape. Jisung pulled that bag out of there and placed it on the top of the bed. He ran to the closet right in front of him and removed the clothes he was hiding at the bottom. They were all simple clothes and it was with them that he could always go out disguised as a commoner.

It was from when he went to the bars and tasted the beers, or when he went out into the fields on horseback with no one in sight to disturb the prince. His life was almost perfect until his father announced that he would arrange a marriage for him.

\- I'm not getting married, idiot. - He laughed quietly as he put on as much clothes as he could get inside.

Jisung didn't know what he was getting into. He didn't know the rules of the sea or those of a pirate, but in his mind, it must have been a lot better than being stuck with his father in that castle.

Jisung waited for dawn to arrive to leave the castle silently, as he almost always did. His father had put more guards watching the exits since he discovered the prince's escapes, but Jisung always found a new way out.

This time, he waited for one of the guards to take turns and then went to a corner at the end of the great wall that surrounded the huge castle. Just below the ground, Jisung had pulled just a little more dirt and managed to open a hole of his size to pass between the rocks. He had to be quick or the new guard would show up and find his escape before he was on the ship miles away from anyone in Busan.

Luckily, he managed to cross smoothly. His nails were dirty with dirt and that was perfect to get even more into his character. From now on, for everyone else, Jisung was a fugitive thief embarking on a pirate journey. He just needed to get from the other side of the village, to the port.

  
**ıllıllı Busan Bay ıllıllı**

  
**Busan Harbor**

  
\- Eight, nine, ten! - The mate started counting more and more men entering the ship through the bridge and the board up to the deck in the part that was under the first floor.

On that floor, there were only two men. This was the mate and his captain. Well... the captain was not exactly there.

Minho leaned against one of the masts and hugged when he found something solid to hold on to. His head spun and spun without stopping since he had recently left the bar. If it weren't for the mate, he would be lying on the dirty floor of that filthy place. And the pirate wouldn't complain if he passed out from being so drunk in a bar. It was like going to the paradise of happy alcoholic pirates.

\- Captain! Get yourself together! - The mate asked grumpily when he saw his captain hugging the mast, smiling at the stars in the sky.

\- It's beautiful, isn't it? The stars! They're funny. - He slid his arms up the mast until he sat on the floor, where he leaned his head against the wood and supported his body too. - They shine, shine and shine every night! Don't you get tired? - A laugh was given by Minho.

\- You drank more than usual today, sir. - The chief mate informed the captain while the eldest checked if there was no one else arriving before they started the ship. It wasn't long before the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon.

When the mate had his confirmation, he walked over to the captain and sat down next to him.

Minho took a long breath until his face changed from funny to sad. His eyes filled with tears as he looked at the ship's floor. The boards still had light and dark parts stained with blood. No matter how hard they rubbed, they were always there.

\- My father died right here. - His face was sad, but in an attempt to hide his pain, Minho laughed. - And those motherfuckers are in there now! - At the same moment, his voice became angry and his finger and eyes were directed towards the castle on the horizon after the village. - They Killed him, Jackson ... It was ... everything was ... I'm going to kill them all... all of them ... - His voice was now totally tearful. His head tilted to the side and his eyes closed for a few seconds. His mate noticed that he was about to fall asleep and then did what he always did.

The one mentioned earlier as Jackson, carried his captain towards his cabin, where there in the corner near the part of the bow of the boat, just below the windows, there was a bed made especially for the captain. He put Minho there and left the same moment he did. He would probably sleep until the next aftemoon and wake up with a bad headache.

The mate returned to the board, counting a few more men who were lining up to get on the ship. He looked at the horizon once more and checked the sun before setting sail.

**ıllıllı Busan Bay ıllıllı**

  
**Somewhere at the end of the village**

Jisung was hiding in every comer he passed. Rarely did his boot echoed when he stepped in the mud and the fam animals made noises startled by the presence of a stranger. When he looked skyward, he saw the first rays of sunlight on the horizon. Once again, he looked ahead towards the sea. There was the big ship that would take him on his newest journey.

A few men still entered and passed over the harbor bridge and came across another man a little older than the others. Jisung ran as fast as he could to enter the ship and stopped next to the board, waiting for his turn to enter. He looked back one last time, more precisely at his castle, and smiled because he was no longer there.

\- Next. - The man's deep voice started him and made him walk back forward. Jisung passed the board and took the first steps on the ship,facing the man. - Name.

\- Jisung. Only Jisung. - He informed the man, right behind him another one appeared. He was a little younger and shorter, he must have been about twenty-two or so. Jisung had previously heard the captain call him Changbin. The youngest pirate carried a mop in a bucket in his hands and as soon as he saw the prince, he went to him immediately.

\- Jackson. Leave this one with me. - Changbin spoke to the mate and the man nodded. - This way, Jisung. - He called and walked towards the bow of the ship, where some men started to clean the floor. Jisung felt a hint of irony in the way Changbin spoke, but he didn't realize it until he was facing him. - This is yours. - He handed the mop and bucket. - Clean it.

Jisung took the two objects, but stared at the smaller one while he was confused. That was not what the “Captain Lee Minho” had told him he was going to do. That was not what Jisung had come for.

\- Wait. It must be a mistake. - Jisung walked towards Changbin, but at a speed not even expected by Jisung, the man pulled his sword from his belt with that shrill noise and pointed towards the prince's neck.

\- I don't make mistakes, sailor. You either work or I cut your throat. - He practically spat out his words. The little guy's serious look scared even Jisung. The way in which he spoke left no doubt that he would kill him in the blink of an eye.

Jisung then surrendered, slowly lowering and placing the bucket and mop on the floor before actually starting his work.

\- Great. Good boy. - He put the sword back on his belt and smiled as if nothing had happened. Changbin got out of there and got lost among the other crew on the boat.

The prince then released all the air he had trapped and didn't even know he was holding it. He looked to the side and faced a boy with orange hair. He wondered for a few seconds what was wrong with that boy's hair until he remembered that many pirates paid for “exuberance”, especially with his hair. This was new to Jisung, but not to any other pirate who could do that with his hair.

This same boy noticed when Jisung looked at him and smiled. His face was dirty with mud and his clothes, white and brown, were dirty with the earth. He cleaned the floor with an old sponge and dipped it back in the bucket with soap and water.

\- Welcome to the Red Queen. My name is Changmin. - The boy introduced himself, but for a few seconds, Jisung was static when he heard the name of the boat.

_"Red Queen."_

Jisung had already heard stories about the ship even when he was just a child. It was a ship whose captain was known for not being the least bit merciful to all the people he plundered, destroying civilization after another. He also remembered when his father came home one night and boasted that he had destroyed the entire threat of the seas.

Jisung had not understood until then what it was about. His father, the king, had executed a pirate that night and that only his son was missing. "Captain Lee" as the man liked to be called and his heir... "Captain Lee Minho ."

\- All aboard! - A man, probably was the navigator, shouted next to the heim while the mate went up the stairs to be beside him.

\- Raise anchor! Hoist the sails! Walk, your insects! To work! - He shouted to many of the men who were still doing nothing and everyone was running desperate for the mast and some for the capstan.

Jisung was baffled by all those thoughts in his mind. He had no way of escaping anymore, much less wanted to go home. No one on that ship could have known that he was a prince or he would be dead.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?! That was what he wondered as he watched his city become just a distant landscape as they moved away from the port.

Jisung had ended up embarking on a journey inside the most feared ship in the world with the heir of a cruel pirate that his father had killed. Probably Captain Minho's heart was filled with hatred for his father, and he would kill if he knew that Jisung is his son.


	2. the new executor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by: moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish on SpiritFanfic  
> This is just a translation. All credits to all users above.

It had been a while since the horizon, shadowed by beautiful mountain ranges, became just water to infinity. The sun was almost setting, the wind was still beating strong and cold as the night drew closer and closer to the dreaded Red Queen. Jisung's arms were so tired from cleaning the deck. “Cleaner!” It was what the sulky mate and another man - Jisung thought he was the executor - told him every time they passed by. If it weren't for the Ji Changmin, with the orange hair, beside him working too, he probably woukd have already thrown himself overboard and swam back “home.”

With all that fatigue, maybe getting married and being king wouldn't be that bad.

But was. For Jisung, it was everything he least wanted in life, after all what kind of life was that? He was not his father's puppet, let alone become one. However, he was there now obeying the orders - like the dreaded puppet - of men that Jisung would probably take their lives if he wanted to. And that was not what the young and rebellious prince left the crown for.

Jisung dropped the cloth on the floor and stood up. He immediately looked at the executor walking near the stairs to the wheel, where the navigator was. Changmin looked up just to face his newest friend asking to be killed right there for disobeying an order.

\- Hey, boy! Don't be stubborn. - The orange raised a hand and grabbed Jisung's fist, trying to pull him. - I'll be the one to clean your fucking blood afterwards!

\- Hey, you piece of shit!

Jisung pulled Changmin's own fist and shouted in the direction of the executor. He looked at him immediately, dripping with fury when he realized that he was calling him that way.

\- Seo Changbin, for your information, your trash. - The executor drew his sword and pointed at Jisung's neck.

\- Great. - Faces without paying much attention when the whole crew fell silent and he and the executor became the center of attention. - I challenge you to a duel..

  
\- Do you think you have a right to something here? - Changbin raised an eyebrow and then snorted.

Jisung shrugged.

Probably Changbin would have just put his sword back and left the poor new sailor to clean up since that was his place: that if, just as he was about to do it, Minho hadn't appeared from the captain's cabin with a bottle in his hand - and anyone could guess it was rum without even having to get close.

\- Accept. - Captain Lee says.

\- But, sir ... - Changbin lowers his sword and turns to the Captain in an attempt to show him how stupid the idea was.

\- It wasn't a request, Changbin. It was a fucking order. You hear when I tell you to do something. - He grits his teeth when he speaks. Jisung looked scared at the man. He was more serious than when the two of them had been mocking each other at the bar a few hours ago. It didn't even look like the same person.

\- Yes, sir. - He accepted and raised his sword again, moving away from Jisung before.

\- We need some fun here, don't we? - Minho spoke as if it were a show. After all, it was what it would become. The audience seemed to like it, since they immediately started screaming and betting on the sullen little guy. - Somebody give the princess a sword, please.

When Jisung heard that, he almost thought the Captain knew about his secret, but in reality maybe it was the fact that he no longer wanted to clean the deck like the others. Whatever the reason, Jisung didn't care. He took the first sword that was thrown in the midst of so many shouts and bets against him.

\- Newbie sailor, what's your price? - The mate who was at the edge of the stairs for the helm asked looking more interested in the fight than the Captain himself.

\- Price? - He opened his eyes wide when he heard the question when everyone fell silent.

\- Yes. There is no victory without reward. - Minho stirred and then Jisung stared at him, remembering when the Captain had offered him a good place in his crew.

\- I want a position that values my skills. And not cleaning the shit out of that floor! - He shouted to be well heard, especially by Lee.

\- Okay... - Minho smiles at the boldness in Jisung's proposal and then faces his executor shortly after. - And you, Changbin?

\- I want to rub this son of a bitch's face on the floor to see if he learns where his place is. - And as soon as Seo answered the question, the people shouted satisfied. Even Minho smiled because he liked that idea even more.

\- May the best win then. And please don't kill yourself. I still need my executor and someone cleaning the drugs off the floor. - Minho gives a spontaneous laugh and turns the bottle in his mouth.

Everyone was silent, staring at the Captain, waiting for his consent to the fight. When Minho realized, he swallowed all the rum and made a face at it.

\- Start. - He said simple and leaned against the door in the cabin to watch.

Jisung's eyes widened when, in less than a second, Changbin's sword hit the center of his own, making the screeching noise of metal that served as gas for the sailors to shout excitedly when that battle finally started.

The prince held his sword firmly, forcing it against the executor's when he let the blade slide to retreat without any extra blow. It looked more like a circle dance. Nobody was advancing. Changbin had already seen how that guy fought and knew well that his reflexes were good; Jisung, on the other hand, didn't even know the other and knew that fighting someone who had never tested his skills was a risk, except when he dared to face Captain Lee, drunk.

When Jisung finally did a movement, he launched the blade towards the executor's face, but he caught it, showing a good reflex.

\- After all you are not that good, little thief. - A singing smile appeared on Changbin's face and at the same moment it broke when Jisung bent down and knocked him down in a single kick close ta the heel.

The prince stood up quickty and pointed the sword at his neck, his foot tightened on Changbin's wrist and caused him to drop the sword in pain. The public fell silent immediately.

Minho, who had just begun to enjoy the fight while still drinking his drink, took his mouth from the bottle close to his lips and opened his eyes wide in surprise when he saw his best man fallen in less than ten seconds.

Jisung felt more than victorious.

\- Or after all, you suck at it, comrade. - Give a wink to the man who had a mixed face of pain and hatred when he looked at the prince. - You are the executor, aren't you? Are you sure you're not a cook?

\- You shit. - Before he spoke. Changbin felt a presence that made him shiver at the same moment. Minho's slightest shadow appears close to his head and he looks at the Captain without knowing what kind of expression that was. -Sir, I...

\- Shh... - Minho asked quietly and looked up at Jisung, completely ignoring the executor lying on the floor with his fist being crushed by the other. - So ... Jiang ... Jinyoung ... What's your name again?

\- Jisung. - The prince looks at him with boredom, hoping that the Captain is already ready to name him anything but to clean the deck.

\- That! Jisung. You just moved up. Choice. - Minho just announces and turns away.

Jisung looks at him confused immediately. He expected Minho to decide what he would be from then on, but choosing was difficult. It could become whatever he wanted at that moment. He looked at the navigator and saw the man standing there just guiding the boat. And although Jisung had learned to guide such a beauty when he embarked hidden in commercial ships, he found that position completely tedious.

The prince was about to choose the place right away when the insect he was preventing from getting out from under him started to move around and around.

\- Let me go, you miserable pig! You will see just how I will remove your skin and make new boots for me! - Changbin still insisted on leaving, pulling the arm that was trapped by Jisung's foot. It was while looking at the executor on the floor that a brilliant idea came to his mind.

\- I want to be the executor. - He looked deeply into Changbin's eyes when he practically shouted at Captain Lee.

\- What? - When Changbin stopped moving, he quickly looked at his Captain who had just stopped walking back to the cabin to listen to Jisung's choice. - Sir...

\- As you wish. - Minho smiled wickedly. fuly appreciating Jisung's boldness.

\- Sir! - Changbin protests.

\- Changbin, you know better than anyone what it is like to win a fight and receive the promised prize. - Minho turns on his back with rudeness and points his finger in the direction of his man still lying on the newly washed boards. - You better shut up before I skin you and make new boots for me! - With the loud tone in which it was said, even Jisung decided to be quiet, but then, like the sun when it rises, Minho smiled when he looked at Jisung one last time. - Welcome to the crew.

And then he turned his back again and went back into the cabin. Jisung was perplexed by that smile suddenly appearing on the man's face: first he looked like he was going to kill everyone at once and then he looked like he wanted kisses and hugs. Perhaps this way Captain Minho had the most feared pirate reputation, not only for brutality, but also for intelligence. Jisung could see it all now from one second to the next.

\- At least I won't clean any blood. - Jisung smiles when he hears Ji Changmin complain behind him.

\- Are you going to use me as a bed now? - A quitter and disappointed Changbin says and Jisung looks down, wondering whether or not to get off him. - Come on!

Without much to do, the prince takes his foot off the sailor's arm and then keeps the sword in his own pants - he didn't even know whose it was, but he wouldn't give it back - although it is dangerous to leave it there without a proper strap . Changbin soon got up and cleaned his clothes just because it was automatic since the floor was clean. Jisung stared at him for a few more seconds before he saw the executor, or perhaps now a former executor, leaving in the direction of the captain's cabin. When he entered, he immediately saw the man sitting in the corner on a chair, between a wooden table where he wrote down small details on a map. In the center of the place, on some firm pleats was Captain Lee's bed in white fabrics and probably expensive since they had all been stolen when they went to the famous Constantinople in search of quality.

\- You came here to throw a tantrum? - Minho said quietly while Changbin stared at him as if he didn't know the Captain anymore. - Because if that's why. turn around now.

\- Tantrum. Minho? He cheated. - Changbin crossed his arms and approached his table.

\- He didn't. It was fair and you know as much as I do. He won, you lost. He receives the award. You should have thought about the probability of losing and being humble before facing the guy. Deal with your defeat in silence. - Lee's eyes finally met Seo's and they stared for a few seconds, one asking why they were still discussing that closed topic for the other. - You know what it's like to win a fight and have your prize, don't you?

\- I know. - Changbin immediately lowered his head when he remembered. After all, a few years earlier, he himself had arrived there as just a ship's employee, defied the executor and ultimately killed him, winning the position he was in now ... Or maybe not anymore. Due to the death of the former executor, that's why Minho did not let mistakes happen this time and Changbin ended up dead. He cared about that particular crew member. - Does that mean I'm washing the deck again?

\- It means that you will have to deal with that Jisung as your executing partner for the rest of your miserable life, or his life, who knows... - He smiled simplistically when he finished speaking, keeping the pen he wrote with and getting up from chair.

\- Damn... - He rolled his eyes as his captain approached him and put one of his arms over his shoulder.

\- Now go out and deal with your defeat, because now I need time. - Minho led the boy out of his cabin, letting him open the door to just push him out of there and lock his room right away.

When Jisung saw Changbin being practically kicked out of the cabin, he gave a low laugh; or at least he thought it was low since as soon as he saw him, the executor walked in heavy steps towards him. The prince immediately put his hand on the sword and prepared to draw it when the little man pointed his finger in his face, with a few centimeters left for their noses to touch.

\- Listen, you fucking pirate. - When speaking such a word, Jisung repudiated it in his own mind, refusing to accept being called that, however he didn't had time to protest against the angry little man. - You and I are going to be executors now, but that doesn't mean you're better than me. I've been here a lot longer, so YOU - The index finger pointed at Jisung's face is lowered to press his chest and lightly push him back - OBEY ME or I'll feed you to the SHARKS, UNDERSTOOD?! - After the words practically spat in Jisung's face and the little fear he felt of the little man in that tone of voice, he just nodded several times without disagreeing with anything. - Great. Brat.

Han could easily have beaten him and laughed in the executor's face without fear of mocking, but at that moment the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he was not sure how he should react to the man. He only preferred to lower his head, for now. After all, even a snake studies its prey before it pounces.

"Understood." he repeated in his own head and turned to lean against one of the ship's corners near the bow. Beside him was Changmin. The boy Jisung had known for at least a few hours had a serious expression and to top it off he was silent, something he found incredible since those hours, even minimal ones, dealing with him were enough to know that the arange-haired one was quite talkative.

\- What's going on in that head? - Jisung asks shortly after removing the newest sword from his pants after he had sat down. He looked at the blade more than his newest friend, if he could ever call him that.

\- All this time that I was cleaning this floor for that shit Changbin, I never saw anyone defeat him before, even more so... - And in the midst of that seriousness, a smile of empathy appeared on his face. - Why didn't you tell me you knew about these pirate things? The gang said you were just a daring thief who tried to face Captain Lee.

\- They talk too much and know less ... - The prince just said in a tone of simplicity, although inside he boasted of himself and the skills he had learned during his years as the prince of the Busan Bay. At least something had served him from that place.

\- Where did you learn all this?

Jisung froze for a few seconds. He couldn't tell who he really was even though Changmin seemed friendly. No one could know that Jisung was an important prince, especially on that ship with that captain and the personal record between the Lee pirates and the Han royal family.

\- My father was a blacksmith. - Lied while thinking of one of his father's friends who occasionally visited the castle bringing the most beautiful swords of war from a single blacksmith. - I trained with the swords he discarded ...

He didn't know if he had been convincing enough or maybe Changmin was too stupid.

\- Ohh ... - The orange was impressed, since even he as a pirate did not have those skills. - And how did you become a thief?

\- Stealing. - Jisung laughed after answering the question. Wasn't it obvious enough?

\- Yes, but... What did you steal?

\- A horse from the king's palace. - It was not entirely a lie since when the prince needed to escape all that “pressure from the Royal Family" he would run to the stables and just disappear into the woods with his old companion.

\- I thought it was gold ... You look like the type of intelligent thief ... I dont know ... - Jisung immediately looked at Changmin, Iaughing at the ideas the boy had of him just knowing him for a few hours. Perhaps it was that identity he needed to spend his time there.

Jisung was no longer the rebel prince who had fled his obligations imposed even before he was born or the days when he cried on his pillow until he fell asleep for not wanting to be king. Now he was a pirate - something he never wanted to be - an ex-thief and excellent with a sword, executor of a ship whose captain was afraid to be heard just by the name. "Lee Minho.”

And speaking of the devil, there he was coming out of the den where he was hiding, better known as the captain's cabin. The young pirate immediately looked at Jisung and smiled when he saw him, leaving the boy confused. Minho then walked to the edge of the ship, resting his hands on the wood to watch the sun set in front of him billions of kilometers away. In a way, the ex-prince felt invited to join the Captain; besides, they still needed a reckoning before anything.

In silent steps across the deck boards, Jisung approached Minho and just left Changmin talking to himself alone - the talking boy could wait a little longer. When he was finally close to the Captain, he stared at the side of his face and let the whole story that his father had told him as a child since the day he saw his mother die run through his veins.

Jisung wanted to boil in hate, but all he could feel was disregard for everything, and he barely knew why. Perhaps because the legacy of hatred for pirates came from his family, but the prince never wanted to belong to that family, so why so much hatred?

\- I know I'm pretty, but that doesn't mean you have to look at me all the time. - Minho gave a roguish smile and then raised a hand to adjust the hat on his head. Jisung could see how well those robes looked on the man, making him more intense than he already was. As he turned to the youngest, they both looked at each other and the prince could feel how messy that Captain was since he had seen him at the bar and when he saw him talking to Changbin like that. It was as if all the time Minho was fighting with his various personalities to know who would appear at any given moment.

\- I wasn't looking at you. - Jisung maintains eye contact, trying to find out what was going on in his head.

\- So you deny that I'm handsome?

\- What? What does this have to do? - Jisung shakes his head in confusion at the man's insinuated and distorted questions.

\- And I ask you, my dear, what does anything have to do with anything else in this world? - Minho spoke as if it were an enigma never unraveled, making every word said a mystery.

Jisung just laughed huffily and turned his body to the horizon that Minho looked at before. The night was already underway and the last rays of sunlight were seen from afar in that immensity of navy blue between ocean and sky.

\- Congratulations on today's fight. I betted on you. - Minho confessed without seeming very impressed with the victory of Jisung, who he considered a mere thief, over his best sailor: Changbin, the executor. - Changbin is good, but audacity can easily blind him. Don't think that just because you won today you will win again too. You practically teach him to beat you every time you fight him. That's how he learns and gets stronger.

\- So that's why you won't let them kill him?

\- Actually for that and other reasons too. - The Captain took a quick look at Jisung before looking back at his precious horizon.

\- Which are?

\- As soon as he arrived and won the position, he took an oath with me. He's my best friend. so I trust him. In these treacherous seas, being able to trust someone is rare. That is the real treasure. - Minho says in a romantic way and Jisung looks at him confused, causing the Captain himself to be surprised by what he said. - It was ridiculous, right? I know. I have to rehearse my speeches more. This business of being a poet is a shit ...

Jisung laughed. Minho also laughed at himself for being so confused about what to say.

\- And pirates say that kind of thing? - The youngest arches his eyebrows when looking at the oldest and the latter looks at him disappointed.

\- Boy, what kinds of stereatypes did you learn? I may be a pirate, but that doesn't make me an imbecile.

\- What makes him an asshole is the rum. - The hoarse and familiar voice of the pirate known as Changbin appears in the middle of the conversation and the prince next to the captain turns his back to look at the boy approaching with a brown bottle, probably containing the aforementioned drink. - And that's why I brought it. He's more fun when he drinks. - Minho rolls his eyes when Changbin holds out the bottle, but he still takes it and takes a drink. - Best.

The captain seemed so used to the intensity of the alcohol that, instead of an ugly face, he just swallowed the liquid for good and wiped the corner of his mouth with his other hand while handing the bottle back to the owner. Changbin also drank it, but it already had the expression of someone who felt it, a lot, when the alcohol burned down his throat until it reached his stomach.

\- At least I know the stereotype of the rum is real. - Jisung scoffs and thrusts himself in the wood of the corner where he found himself to take the first steps out of there.

\- Where you go? - Minho asks when he sees his newest sailor going in the direction of the trapdoor that leads to the floor below.

\- Take a nap. - The prince responds without looking back when he ducked close to the rectangular opening whose stairway below it led to the area where the sailors carried the cannans.

\- There's still a floor to clean. - Changbin implies with a huge smile on his face, even though he knew that that was no longer the young man’s job.

\- So do it yourself. - Jisung replies as soon as he opens the trapdoor and takes the first steps inside. - As far as I'm concerned, I'm an executor now. Better than you, even. - Teased and toak a look at Seo just to see that smug smile disappear and look changed to an aggressive way.

\- Changbin. - Minho catches the other's attention and he sighs looking tired, then just leans against the boat and drinks from the bottle in his hands.

Jisung smiled victorious again before looking away from the little man until he looked at the Captain and saw the mutual smile he had. Upon seeing the prince, the pirate seemed to admire his audacity, which was a good thing. Jisung needed to keep his neck safe while he was there - and he even forgot about it when he ended up confronting his “superiors.” Without another word, his eyes strayed to his feet and then he finally walked down the stairs to the loading floor. Another few meters walking, he found another staircase to another floor. The floor-to-ceiling timbers supported the famous marine nets which sailors could have their right to rest for at least a few seconds a day. Jisung threw himself on ‘an empty net and fell asleep right there.

Minho felt his muscles getting heavier and heavier when he walked towards his cabin. He felt that he could fall on that floor and fall asleep in the same way, thrown on the brown planks until same kind soul - or perhaps someone wanting to pull the captain’s bag - carried him to his rightful place. If it weren't for Seo Changbin holding him by the arms, with those strong biceps, the Captain would already have given up on going to the cabin. But the executor, despite being drunk, was well aware that he would not leave his friend on that ship anyway.

\- You are too good for me, Changbin. - Lee’s voice trailed due to the already drunk blood as he entered his cabin and behind him the executor closed the door and then laid the Captain on his bed.

\- And you're drunk. - The other laughed as soon as he sat Minho on the bed and bent down to remove his boots. Lee’s hand grabbed Seo’s strong shoulders and squeezed them.

Changbin couldn't help but smile when he felt that tightness coming from the captain to him. It seemed simple, but they both knew what it meant. Minho had a strange way of demonstrating something when he wanted Seo to give him that “something.” And it was nothing new for the two of them or for anyone on that boat that they both had some kind of strange and warm relationship.

Changbin sneaked to his feet, fitting himself between his Captain's legs and causing him to throw his own body backwards, falling under the soft, icy mattress of the bed. The calm tide outside made the environment conducive for the two to continue what they were about to do there as Sea approached Lee's lips.

\- I'm drunk. But I know what I'm talking about. - The Captain says when he grabs the executor's neck, finally bringing him to the much desired kiss that at first seemed rushed, intense and needy.

Their bodies heated up instantly and their erections touched each other over their pants. leaving them both sensitive to their own movements. Minho’s interior burned and he increasingly begged to feel Changbin inside him again, fucking him as hard as the last time they did it.

They might have been a little drunk, but they knew very well what they were doing and knew that it was not the rum acting for them.

The minimum cold winds that hit the bottom of the deck were enough to leave all the sailors who slept in the hammocks shaking, as cold as the waters that came from the north and south unknown. The men wrapped themselves, with the smallest pieces of cloth that were left to them, since many were gnawed by the rats that shared the house with them. Everyone shivered with cold, except Jisung, who was still asleep, dripping beads of sweat on his forehead and his body temperature rising steadily.

\- Mom ... - He called, but got no answers.

The third person, in front of the king and queen was a slightly taller man, wearing boots, white, muddy pants and a shirt of the same color. The only thing that made Jisung know who that man was, was his tricom hat and his sword with the pammel in the shape of a crown. But he was not a king, the prince thought. No ... he was a pirate. A killer and destroyer of kingdoms.

The memory of that boy standing at the gate waiting for his parents to return from that arrangement was mind-boggling.

\- Mom...

Yes. it was a nightmare.

Jisung saw when the pirate’s sword went through his mother’s chest. It was so fast that the sound of gunshots coming from the gun that the father held aiming at the pirate almost burst his eardrums. And even in that rain, Jisung saw his mother fall in the mud and he wanted to run to her, but someone was holding him from behind while the first tears in his eyes fell.

\- Mom!

Jisung woke up with a start. Not only did he, but he also woke up the others who were nearby, all waking up irritated by the newcamer's sudden shout. They didn't even seem to fear him even though he knew he was now an executor and even though he saw what he was capable of.

\- Could you shut up? You're not the only one on the ship. - A man a little older than him says rudely, not appearing to be someone who enjoyed interactions. - Cry for Mom later, kid.

Jisung swallowed. He didn't know that he was actually calling his mother while he slept, too. That made his heart sink when he remembered the woman who raised him, who really showed that he loved him whether or not he was the prince, being murdered at the gate by a pirate.

That dream served to remind Han that hatred for pirates was not a legacy of the family, but a hatred he shared with his father, who also saw his wife bleed to death without being able to stop it. His repudiation was not for nothing, because he had lost everything to the pirates and was now on the same ship as them, laughing with them, talking ...

It even seemed like some kind of irony. The prince did not know whether he hated the crown or piracy more. If he hated his father or his mother's killer. Whoever that man was, he must be dead. No one could resist being shot in the chest like that, and the king himself ensured that the pirate bled to death as the queen had bled.

Eye for an eye. Tooth by tooth. The debt was already paid and Jisung's hatred was certainly less now compared to when he loaked at King Han.

Changbin could repeat that scene a thousand times if he needed to. He never got tired of it, after all everything that was good should be repeated. Seo loved to see Lee's naked body unwrapped on top of the bed, with those majestic curves and an angelic face for now.

Minho was exhausted. Not only for the drink but also for Changbin’s violent attacks inside, which resulted in body aches and an “enormous” dispositian for the next day. He kept his eyes closed even though he was still awake. And as much as he didn't want the executor to leave yet and warm his side on the bed, the Captain was too tired to even say anything. Then he just let his partner sit on the edge of the bed, finishing putting on his own boots.

Minho only realized that he had left the cabin when the door closed and he just fell asleep for good with a small smile an his face.

It was not as if the Captain was in love with his executor. That was certainty not love. Minho was sure that it was about pleasure and the intense way that Changbin made him feel. He used to love the bold way Seo has had since they met.

When Changbin killed the former executor, it caught Minho's attention for the first time in years, leading him to meet the boy and discover that they both had equal tastes, eventually becoming some kind of friends. Seo was provocative, hard-headed and at the same time loyal and Lee liked that. He had never seen anyone like this.

Not until he met Jisung and his strange and mysterious way. Even Changbin knew it wouldn't be long before the Captain ended up sleeping with his newest executioner just because Minho was horny for mysteries and liked to be the first to try them.

And of course, Jisung was his newest mystery. He just didn't know he was also the prince, his target for revenge.


	3. the new prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by: moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish on SpiritFanfic  
> This is just a translation. All credits to all users above.

Jisung was unable to sleep after that unfortunate nightmare. It was dawn, but despite that, the smallest rays of sunlight appeared little by little and turned the sky pink. His eyes even burned a little so much that he avoided even blinking for fear of falling asleep and dreaming of his mother’s death again. Many of that ship would kill to get a night's sleep, after all they spent the day cleaning, pulling ropes and serving a Captain in an unpredictable mood, arriving tired at night, unable to sleep since others had to take control of the great monster of wood. Sleep was precious at sea and Han knew it, but he was willing to lose it that night to dream about his bleeding mother.

“Thief”

The angry voice of someone coming from the deck caught the attention of the prince, who was frightened at the same moment, after all that was what he was being called since he arrived there on that ship. Even the other men around him stood up and immediately looked at him, hoping to understand why they shouted at the boy's “codename".

\- Thief on the ship !! - That same voice screamed again and Jisung finally realized that it wasn't him they were talking to, but someone else upstairs.

They all ran hurriedly up the stairs like rats fleeing the water in a flood. Jisung only accompanied them, not understanding why all the uproar on the part of the sailors, but it seemed to be important.

When they went up on deck, he noticed a huge circle around two other men and came over for more vision. One of them was standing with the blade pointed at the other's neck, who was on his knees. Jisung knew that this was the mate ready to kill any sailor as soon as he received the captain's orders. And to mention him...

Lee came out of his cabin like a jet, looking a little awkward when putting his pants on, something that was already common to the other crew, but Jisung was still somewhat funny the way the man acted.

\- What happened this time? - Minho released his hands from his robes and crossed his arms, staring at his mate as soon as a space in the circle was opened for him to pass.

\- This little guy here, my lord - The mate immediately tightened the blade on the other's neck, and then the small traces of blood that formed and dripped slowly on his dirty skin could be seen -, he tried to steal our stock.

Jisung immediately looked at the Captain and saw his face change in the blink of an eye. It was as if Lee had wrath and he wanted to end the life of that man kneeling on his floor at the same moment.

 _“It is difficult to be able to trust someone in these treacherous seas"_ , Jisung thought when he remembered what Lee had said the day before. Should he be referring to his crew, perhaps? At sea, it was not known what to face or who would be the next enemy. Everything was a matter of luck and now it made more sense to Han when he looked at the Captain's angry face.

\- Put him on the boat. - Seriously, Minho didn't even blink. He ground his teeth as he looked at the traitor, remembering the moment when he let him in on that board.

He had already been warned many times about the downside of taking beggars out of cities and taking them to ships. They stole the food, the boats and fled, leaving the entire hungry crew behind. The Captain had seen ghost ships before with the crew starving and thirsty and had also dealt with such things in other times, so teaching sailors a lesson in what not to do was essential. He had to remember who the Captain was and who the sailors were. Who decided when and where to eat, who would eat and who would not. Stealing from the ship's stock was treason to him and should be punished.

The mate didn't even hesitate and let go of the man's sword and push him towards one of the boats that was tied to one side of the ship.

\- No, please no! - The thief begged for mercy, looking at Minho, who didn't seem to feel anything for him. - I swear I won't do that anymore, please, sir!

Jisung looked at the man's despair and did not understand the reason for the drama. Of course, being thrown into the sea without food or water and without a destination must have been terrible. Maybe the boy would die slowly or maybe he would have a chance to survive if he found an island or another boat to serve.

The mate threw the man hard against the boat and cut the ropes in seconds, watching him scream until he hit the water. He quickly started to row as if running from something, fearing his proximity to the ship.

Minho waited a few seconds. Let him go. Jisung looked at everyone there and did not understand why they were still watching. It looked like some kind of tradition. He looked at the faces of anxious men, others terrified and wanted to understand why.

\- Executor. - The Captain calls and Jisung looks at him, but Changbin answers.

\- Yes sir. - The short man was right at his Captain's side with his hand on his gun.

\- Not you. The other. - The way Minho says, makes Changbin look at Jisung with disgust, moving away from his leader to make way for the prince.

\- What do you need? - Curious, Jisung tried to be as brief as possible, but regretted having asked so much for the answer when Minho gave it.

\- Shoot him.

It was worse than being left to die or having a chance to live. Minho simply gave false hope to the man who launched the boat and then killed him. That's why he paddled so fast, wanting to stay as far away from the ship as possible, because he wanted to try his luck and survive. But Jisung knew well what he was capable of and as much as he had chosen the job of executor, he was not ready to kill an innocent.

\- I don't kill. - He replied facing the Captain and the latter looked at him coldly, but also disappointed, after all Minho had high expectations in him.

\- Shoot.

It was then that he heard a click and suddenly his head was facing the barrel of a gun. Minho held his beautiful revolver ready to shoot and cut a hole in Jisung's head without even thinking twice. And looking at the way the Captain looked at him, Han knew that he would not hesitate to kill him.

\- What a waste. - Minho said, proving his disappointment, while Changbin was more than happy to see his Captain's newest favorite fail as fast as he beat him.

Jisung, though hesitant, raised his weapon in the direction of the thief on the boat. He didn't want to die. Not yet. He had not disobeyed everything his father had taught him to die at the hands of a pirate like his mother. He did not run away from the Busan Bay to be another coward. And he had not boarded along with pirates to be killed by one. If the way was to kill to survive, he had to do it, even if it cost him his sanity.

The prince turned his face and pointed just above where his aim was, because he knew that the bullet had deviations and he could miss. He had been well trained to know war tactics with both swords and revolvers. Jisung was some kind of soldier made to rule. He was not created to be the king who hides behind pawns, but the king who advances in front of everyone and hunts piece by piece on the board to win the game alone. If he wanted to, he could hit the head of the man who was crying far away in a single bullet, paddling tirelessly to a destination that only reserved death for him.

\- You're taking too long. - Changbin soon got into the middle again and aimed the gun to shoot first. Jisung knew that he would not hesitate. But if Seo fired first it might mean that Han was as useless as the presence of a navigator on the boat. - Let me-

A squeeze on the trigger and the man’s head opened a single hole. He stopped paddling instantly. There was no longer any life in his body, just as there was no longer any innocence in Jisung, who he had killed for the first time.

\- Very well. - It was all that Minho said before leaving and leaving Jisung looking at his target with a mixture of feelings, one of them being the sudden nausea for still seeing the hole made in the corpse. - Everyone, get back to your posts!

\- And to think that I doubted you, pig. - The other executor smiled, but he didn't look proud. He knew what killing made someone feel. And even though he was so good at what he did, he knew what it was like to feel that way.

Jisung wanted to cry. He wanted to run. But where would you go in the middle of the water? What arms would he run to if the only person who saw him cry was his dead mother? He had no one. His stomach turned even more, but the prince also hesitated to throw up in the water. He didn't even know when he would eat again, and he had to save energy, or he would end up stealing like the poor guy in the little boat, sailing aimlessly. One thing he knew, he didn't want to be in that guy’s shoes.

\- Jisung. - The Captain's serious voice made the prince swallow when called by the man who still had a hard face. - With me, now.

Captain Lee started walking towards his cabin, which indicated that he would have a private conversation with Jisung and that was not a good thing.

\- You fucked. - It was only by passing the executor that Han was sure of the fate that awaited him inside that room.

He even remembered when he had to lecture his teachers when he was nothing but perfect in something he did: Math, Korean, English, Spanish or whatever. Jisung must be divine. From ten he had to be eleven. And luckily, something he has managed to learn over the years. And seeing his present gift, having received that kind of education in the midst of the seas was useful for his survival. He just had to prove his importance even if the Captain didn't mind losing someone. After all, as he had called Jisung a waste, it meant that he knew of his abilities, but it was a shame to have to kill him. In other words, Han needed to prove how valuable he was.

When he finally entered Lee’s cabin and closed the door behind his back, the Captain just sat quietly in the chair in front of a table with an open map. Jisung had a good understanding of cartography and perhaps this was a good time to know their fate.

\- You hesitated. - Before Jisung said anything, Minho stopped anything he had to say with simple words but with an intensity that only a Captain had.

\- I-I'm sorry, sir. - Even to speak Han hesitated. He was not much of a bow to authorities, as he was of his father, but that bad version of the Captain who avoided smiling and killed without mercy scared him in a way that he no longer understood. Jisung was beginning to fear him and understand why everyone loved and hated him.

\- I hope it doesn't happen again. Or unfortunately I'm going to have to get rid of you, too. - Minho takes his hand to the holster at his waist and pulls his gun away, hitting it hard under the table surface, making Jisung nervous when he sees that revolver again. - Never disobey an order from me in front of my men if you don't want to have your brains popped on my floor.

In gnashing teeth, Jisung and Minho exchange looks.

Lee now felt that he scared Han and had him in the palm of his hand to do whatever he wanted. Maybe he was right to find Seo so similar to the other, after all they both feared him at the right time and in the right measure. However, Jisung seemed to fear life a lot more now that he saw that she was in danger on that ship.

It looked like a game. And Minho liked that kind of game. He loved to treat his prey well before devouring it.

\- It won't happen again. - Jisung had been caught in his most fragile moment. He himself wondered where was that same man who defied the executioner and dared to ask the Captain for his position. The one who faced Lee at the bar and played with him like a cat and mouse, almost leaving him in his slippers.

And Han knew the answer. That man, that Jisung, was the Jisung he fantasized for himself, because he was afraid to chicken out to others when he was really just a wounded, helpless squirrel. He was angry that he was getting carried away so quickly by the Captain's commands, but in a way he couldn't deny that this was his new life now. Who knows, he might not learn how it worked. Thinking of his mother made him fragile. Remembering that she created him to be sweet and gentle destroyed him just by remembering what he had done with the man’s head on the boat. It was agonizing and disturbing.

Minho knew that well. He saw in that thiefs eyes that he could be good at fighting, but he hesitated to kill. And that made him fragile. Minho wanted him to grow up, he wanted to make him strong and make him independent. The idea left him with an erection between his legs that he would like to be able to control from time to time, since he appeared at inopportune moments as well. Jisung’s desperate and lost face, who was looking for an emergency exit, left Minho excited, because he had everything the boy needed in the palm of his hands. Lee wanted to see Han look like him.

\- It would be a shame to kill you, Jisung. - Minho said loudly and started to get up from his chair, passing around the table until he sat under it, in front, too close to Jisung. - So much potential ... So much talent for a mere thief being thrown out because you don't kill? - He smirks and pulls Jisung by the hem of his pants until he puts him between his legs. - I can make you strong.

Han didn't even move. He was afraid to hesitate the Captain and be punished for it. The last thing Jisung wanted to do was go against his words and end up with a hole in the head too. And he was almost sure that the bullet would come from Seo's weapon, who would be happy to kill him.

It was in the middle of Minho’s legs that Jisung felt how hard he was while his Captain already had his lips on someone else's neck, slowly sucking on his tanned skin to distract Han from Lee’s hand who went down and entered his pants, squeezing his member so that it started little by little while stimulating.

Jisung let himself be carried away by the pleasure and the feeling he caused when he was touched in such a sensitive area after so long without touching it himself. He knew his body, his desires and his fetishes. Han knew well that if Lee continued what they were doing, they would not stop. And Jisung didn't want to stop.

He laid his head on Lee's shoulder to pant heavily against the sudden acceleration that his hand on his penis had, a sound that left the Captain encouraged to continue with his “affection” in that region.

Jisung closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again and ended up landing on a part of the map that caught his eye and startled him when he noticed an X there, marking one of the first destinations on the Captain's route.

\- Wait. - Jisung walks away a little abruptly, ending the touches and his erection that had grown, but that he preferred to ignore when he recognized the place they were going to. He adjusted his trousers around his waist and went around the table to get a better look at the island between Japan and Korea. - What is it?

\- Our exchange point. - Minho responds a little disappointed with him, this time for breaking something that was too good to interrupt.

\- But here is certain death. Nobody comes by.

Han said with such certainty that he made Lee wonder what else he knew. Jisung didn't seem to be any thief and that made him even more intrigued.

\- Do you know how to read maps? Did they teach you that in jail? - Minho laughs, although his question is really serious.

\- Are you going to kill everyone? - Jisung ignored the Captain and became concerned, after all the destination that awaited them was an island where pirate exchanges took place.

No real ship dared pass by, and if they dared, they were sunk by the other pirates. He was afraid of being recognized there, after all, many ships from the Han reign had tried to invade the place - and as always it was flawed.

\- We are pirates. They are not going to kill us. - Minho sounded carefree. - You should be worried about the fact that our route is Mermaid Bay.

\- Mermaids? - Jisung laughs.

\- Yes.

\- That does not exist. - With Han's ignorant statement, Lee is now laughing.

\- You're funny. - Minho goes towards the door and opens it slowly, implying that it was time for the other to leave. - When we capture one, you will see that it is as real as I am. Now get out.

This time Jisung did not hesitate to comply with the Captain's order when he came around the table and headed with his head down out of the cabin. He didn't have much to do but head towards his "bedroom", to think about the cake of things that had happened to him in the middle of the morning.

However, when he arrived in the precious hammock he had tried to sleep in before, he noticed that now it was occupied by a thug: a tall boy with very robust arms for someone who had a face of about twenty-five, kicked the prince Judging for what he saw. The guy looked at Jisung and shot him.

\- What are you looking at? - Jisung studied him head on. He was very fair-skinned despite being sunbathed on that boat most of the time. Maybe he only stayed on deck at night and slept during the day, which is why he was so pale. Hair fell under his forehead, covering his furrowed eyebrows and bulging eyes that tried to scare Jisung.

The prince was about to answer “nothing” and leave when someone behind him spoke for him.

\- Wow, wow, Younghoon. You don't have to be an asshole with everyone like that. - The guy previously mentioned as Changmin put his hand on Jisung’s shoulder in a friendly way while looking at the big guy, now named Younghoon.

\- It's my network. - He replied bitterly.

\- Sorry. I didn't know. - It was not time to avoid trouble. Jisung thought that in this way he might gain the trust of others, as he had with that Changmin. But not everyone was the same.

\- Relax, executor. - Changmin looked at Han and winked. - We get a new network. Maybe we'll send someone else to the boat if they don't want to leave.

Both Younghoon and Jisung opened their eyes wide when that form of punishment was mentioned. Han felt his stomach churn again and he could almost feel it would fall to the floor. When was the last time he ate, really? He didn't remember. If it weren't for the white guy to jump up from the net quickly, for fear of Jisung’s title as executor, Han would probably have fallen hard, but no.

\- Sorry, sir. I'll find another network. - Younghoon treated Jisung like a prince at that moment and he hated that. Even though he was a few inches bigger than the other, the white guy showed fear just because he knew Jisung was an executor and his life could be dealt with in his hands.

\- Great. More respect for your superiors, sailor. And me too. - Changmin shot the biggest one while he retreated from there, afraid to move. Jisung looked confused at Ji to see that he was also hiding in the shadow of his job as executor. - I'm his assistant. If you mess with me, my executor cuts you into pieces!

Younghoon was already gone, away from that conversation so that Jisung could finally laugh at the ideas that boy had and said. Changmin seemed to be quite crazy at times, having no problem saying what he thought or being playful, even though he was in a place like that. At first, Han thought it might be because Ji was drunk, but he didn't even see him put a drop of alcohol in his mouth since he stepped on that ship, so it was a discarded option.

\- Changmin, you know that I'm more afraid of him being just a sailor than he is of me being an executor, right? - Han interrogated and watched Ji sit next to him in the hammock.

\- Yeah, but he doesn't know that. I Know you are afraid, Jisung. Everyone saw it. But I don't understand why you looked so different yesterday...

\- It was the hangover, I think. Now I'm clear enough. - Smiled weakly and looked at the “friend.”

\- I think you're hiding something from me.

\- Am I? - Swallowed. - I mean, no! Of course not. - Changmin hesitated to believe.

\- Are you by any chance fucking the Captain too? - Ji raised his eyebrows to show his curiosity and Jisung’s eyes widened.

\- What do you mean “too”?

\- The Captain likes puppets. Furthermore, it is very difficult to live at sea without having sex. We need affection from time to time .. Even the men here who like women get other men because being without sex is horrible and whatever comes around is great. And that's when we find out who likes what. - Changmin winked at Jisung, who was horrified to imagine what it must be like to have sex in a place like that, at least for the sailors since everyone slept under the deck in hammocks, a public area, far from human privacy, except the Captain.

\- l didn't have sex with the Captain, if that's what you want to know. - Han opened the game at once before that nut started to hint at something. - But he tried ... he said something about making me strong...

\- He's testing you. Like Changbin.

\- The other executor?

\- Uhum. They have a little affair too, but it's nothing serious. - He shrugged.

\- Have you slept with the Captain?

\- Once. It was good, but even so the Captain said I wasn't his type. - Changmin smiled to demonstrate that he was not wrong with the outside, after all he had much more below deck than he imagined. - Changbin is exclusively his. And he seems to like impulsive guys with a tendency to kill.

\- But I don't kill.

\- Then you will be his new toy, Jisung. - Ji laughs and Han makes a disgusted face just to imagine being used by someone he didn't want.

But what did he expect? Han Jisung, a prince descended from one of the greatest kingdoms in Central Asia who abdicated the throne to embark on a pirate journey with a Captain who seemed to function with two personalities, apart from rum addiction and using people as a sexual pastime. It felt like an unconventional adventure and there was no escape.

Jisung could have thought about it for a long time, discussing everything he thought with that Changmin, but then the hoarse-voiced and muscular-bodied executior came down the deck stairs just to call the prince.

\- Hey, you useless bastard! Have you forgotten that I am supervising you now? Think where is it, little princess? In a castle to be easy? - "Believe me, not even in the castle is easy”, Jisung wanted to add when Changbin started with his usual blah blah blah.

\- Do you need to curse every time you talk to me ??? - Han gets up from the hammock, trying to acquire the same posture as the day before when he faced that man without thinking too much.

\- I curse you as many times as I want. - Changbin spat on the floor next to Jisung's shoe and then turned on his back to go up the deck stairs again. - Come on. We need to train.

\- Why? I defeated you. I should be training you. - He laughed and then walked after Seo, but was soon stopped by the irritated little man, who looked him in the eye.

\- You won once. It doesn't make you better than me. - He smiled confidently and then Jisung doubted whether Changbin really meant it or not.

Minho had told him that the executor always improved every day, learning about his opponents with each blow made, even watching them. Maybe that's why Seo was so sure of his potential against Jisung, maybe that's why he didn't let his pride get hurt so easily.

Whatever the option, the executor had finally managed to leave the prince with a flea behind his ear about his real intentions, and mainly: If he was so good, why had he let Jisung win so easily? Changbin was a questionable character.

Han followed Seo to the deck, where they went to the wooden center so that the little man would draw his sword in one movement and point at Jisung, touching the tip of the blade to his neck.

Jisung almost trembled. His reflexes were good, but for the first time he did not foresee that movement coming from the other in front of him. Changbin smiled small when he saw that the boy's life was in his hands again, like the fish trapped in the ship's nets, waiting to be pulled out of the sea and consumed by the sailors. The executor loved to feel that people were his victims, loved when he saw how helpless they were in the sight of his sword.

\- First lesson: don't trust the enemy. - Changbin was slowly applying pressure with the blade on the skin of Jisung's neck, leaving him inches from his death. But of course the little guy wouldn't kill him there. He just wanted to feel superior again.

And once again the two gave a show to the rest of the ship. The men had made a circle around them, while others leaned against the edges, sat on the floor or on the stairs that led to the wheel.

The audience's anxious eyes awaited Jisung’s slow and agonized death by Changbin’s sword, but when the latter lowered the blade, they sighed despondently.

\- Why did you let me win? - Jisung asked curiously, in a low tone since he was not in the mood to be the center of attention.

\- Why did you hesitate to kill? - The question from the other was stronger than the desire to explain. Jisung couldn't tell him. - Do you know what I think? That you're just a scared little baby. - Teased and then he started to walk in circles around Han. - He likes to feel like a badass, but he cries at night, because he’s just a frightened chicken.

Jisung clenched his teeth hard as he followed the shorter one, turning his neck an hundred and eighty degrees in each direction, keeping his eye on the other since at any moment he could threaten him with the sword again.

\- You say that, but you lost it to me. - As a way of replying to Seo’s words, Jisung tried to hurt his pride, but Changbin had more pride than when Han was too drunk to control his bold words.

\- And you say that, but you're just another pirate like everyone else. - Another smile comes from Changbin, being the last straw for Jisung to finally pull his sword from his belt and turn against the executor.

That was his biggest mistake.

Changbin was faster. Even before the sword could hurt Seo's stout body, he turned against Jisung and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground with force.

The kick left Han completely breathless. Everything around him was dark and he felt his lungs close every time he had to inhale.

Changmin was a few steps away from him and almost ran to help his friend on that floor. It really looked like Jisung would suffocate on that floor until he died. He wanted to help, but when he threatened to step forward, Changbin aimed his sword at the young man and he backed away.

\- Second lesson: never counter the opponent's provocations. You can end up fucking yourself ugly. - He laughs as soon as he looks away from Jisung’s body lying on the floor.

Han had dropped his sword and now embraces himself in a fetal position. As much as he tried to control his tears, they ran down his face without any permission.

Where was Han Jisung from before? Who was that weak Jisung that everyone watched cry on the floor? And, most importantly, who was the real Jisung?

He didn't even know who he was, after all he grew up in a place that forced him to accept his position as prince, son of royalty, with no choice, always doing what they thought was right for him. And even after his rebellious adolescence, Jisung did not know who he was, what he wanted and how he would live.

\- You are nobody, Jisung. - Changbin seemed to know how Han felt. And even in that moment of pain on the floor, he felt a hint of curiosity in getting to know Seo a little more, after all it seemed that he had already felt that way too. - End of today’s lesson. I think you've learned enough.

Proud of himself, Changbin put his sword in his belt and wiped his hands on his pants, turning back to find the Captain leaning against the cabin door with a small bottle - which, judging by the way Lee had to quench your thirst, it was rum - while looking at him a little seriously. Seo smirked before leaving the deck as soon as he headed for the stairs that led to the area where the ship's steering wheel was, just because the mate was there and that man loved to increase his gigantic ego.

Jisung breathed more easily after he felt that the eyes of the other sailors were no longer on him, even though he was still lying on the floor. He was just ignored, and thanked him for it. The prince wiped away his tears before getting up with the help of Changmin, who carefully held him in his arms. Jisung was ready to go back under the deck and spend hours there, embarrassed, when his eyes and those of the Captain met. Minho had an intense way of looking at others when he was serious. Even with that bottle of rum, his expression was unique. Jisung wanted to be able to read that man's mind to understand what was behind all that serious face.

The Captain took a last sip of the bottle before launching it off the ship and looking at Jisung one last time with a rogue smile. Han didn't think twice about letting go of Changmin's arms and going to get satisfaction from Lee inside his cabin.

With unhurried steps, Han entered the Captain's compound without any permission. It was hot since the midday sun was beginning to dominate the skies and the few clouds made it possible for the heat to only increase, both in the cabin's external and internal climate.

Jisung closed the door behind him.

Minho still had that incomprehensible smile when he turned to look at Han and to get closer.

Jisung grabbed Lee by the waist without much mercy and he seemed to like the brutality that was pulled against the other's body. In an affectionate kiss, Han pushed the older man towards the bed while trying to find a way to get rid of his pants.

The Captain had always been moved by mysteries, and the Prince moved by adventures. Even though they were different, at that moment, one wanted to discover more of the other.


	4. the reaper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by: moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish on SpiritFanfic  
> This is just a translation. All credits to all users above.

In the middle of the immense and blue ocean, lit by the two o'clock sun, the huge ship named Reaper. Perhaps he had that title because of his Captain, or perhaps because of the history that those old timbers and heavy cannons had. But it was not always so.

Captain Bang was not always a reaper of ships and souls. No, no. The twenty-five-year-old with slightly curly hair and dark color used to have a privileged life at the imperial court, until someone changed everything.

**ıllıllı Yosu Bay ıllıllı**

**5 years before ...**

In those fine woven clothes from the Middle East, Bang Chan was showing off in the palace halls with a letter in his hand. He had only one goal that day: to deliver the paper to the king before nightfall. When he finally set foot in the royal room, the Asian man smiled when he noticed his presence and then rose from the huge throne made of gold and cotton to “fluff' his majesty’s ass.

\- My king, I brought a letter from the Japanese queen. She reports that she has captured the pirate who plundered our islands to the south and is sending him to us next week for execution. - With the news, Chan was soon at the foot of the throne delivering the letter to the king of Yosu.

And as expected, the old man reacted well, after all, it had been years since the court sought the pirate who always invaded the kingdom's coffers and went out alive, spending the riches of the selfish man sitting on the throne. Finally, they would see the guy's head roll on the guillotine and that required a celebration.

The king even invited Chan to the supper they would have at dusk, but Chan refused because he already had his own plans.

All his days were like that: delivering letters to the king, condemning pirates to the gallows or guillotine, taking care of the kingdom's accounts ... Chan was a very important piece in Yosu. Or used to be...

The young man followed the corridors again, anxious to return to his room, made especially for him in the Palace, when one of his apprentices interrupted his walk.

\- Sir ... - Chan would recognize that thin voice anywhere. Chanhee, an eighteen-year-old boy, called out to him with a nervous face. - Is he here again?

Bang knew what it was about. He was not able to deny that friend, the only one he could trust, his biggest secrets. And “he” was one of them.

\- It is. Chan smiled rogue, unconcerned with the situation. - I'm going to see you now.

And just like that, he ignored his apprentice and went on his way again, leaving poor and thin Choi Chanhee behind with mixed thoughts between suspicion and paranoia.

Unlike his master, the young man was aware that _he_ was a huge trap. But talking to Chan was like talking to the wall.

When it came to _him_ , Chan was too fragile. His heart was softening because he felt that for the first time he was in love with someone for real, even if it was the opposite of what he expected.

Who knew, a convict of pirates and a pirate together in the same bed. Bang would even find it funny if that night hadn't been the worst of his life. He should have agreed to go to supper with the king; he should have heard what Chanhee had said to him; Chan shouldn't have fallen in love with a pirate. After all, they just wanted gold, smuggling and ... betrayal.

The pirate Bang Chan had fallen in love with was just using him to break into the royal vault and then later accuse him of the act, thus cleaning up his thief file from Yosu's Bay.

Chan had to run. Accused of treason to the king, he was almost executed, being saved only by his apprentice at the last moment before being caught in his room, sleeping in the middle of the night.

Chanhee saved him several times after that day, as when they discovered their whereabouts on the coast and had to steal a merchant ship to escape from there. However, contrary to what they thought, the ship was not entirely empty. It was there that they met Kim Sunwoo, a drunk who just wasn't thrown overboard on a boat because the man had a great talent with weapons: impeccable aim, as Chan used to say.

Despite having survived, after that betrayal of someone he loved, the Captain no longer felt alive. All he felt for the other pirate was hatred. He wanted revenge, whatever the cost.

Along with their other two companions, the three embarked on a journey of pursuit of the man who took everything Chan had. But even with so many efforts, they always ended up missing each other due to the oceanic immensity. Two years had passed and they were exhausted and almost dead when Bang did something that cost him as much as he loved someone who betrayed him. He had no choice, it was his last option.

**ıllıllı Oki Island, Japan ıllıllı**

  
**Three years before...**

Chan was hungry, tired and thirsty. The night was beginning to be cloudy, but not a drop of rain had come since dawn. His two companions were lying on the deck, looking dead, if they weren't already. He had no way of knowing, because he was also almost dead when his last drops of consciousness made him pass out with his hands on the ship's steering wheel. Chan did not notice, but when he fell, his ship deviated from the route and hours later ended up stranding on an island unknown to him. He only woke up when he felt something wet being put in his mouth and choking him automatically. It was water. Sorry, Chan opened his eyes and swallowed all the liquid thrown down his throat by someone he didn't recognize.

She was a woman, tall, beautiful, with strange clothes, arms covered with tattoos and a face like someone who wasn't there for nothing. It was either very lucky or very unlucky that he met that woman there, because that was when he finally realized who she was; and it was too late.

Witches were also well known for ugliness, old age or extreme poverty. But not all; some were beautiful, seductive and greedy, but had the devil tattooed on their souls.

The woman gave them food, water and gave Bang everything he most wanted: his revenge. But of course he wouldn't have it all kissed.

Magic had a price. If Chan's price for having loved was to be betrayed, then his price for revenge was his soul and that of his two friends.

He didn't hesitate.

With the gift given by the woman, Chan definitively acquired the title of Captain Bang of the Reaper ship and of a crew with special gifts worthy of the witches’ magic. However, he ended up also becoming the reaper himself, not differing much from what he used to do before he lost everything: condemn.

Chan, then sailed through the cloudy waters of the seas, as if he were a hired killer, hunting both pirates and commercial ships from royalty in Asian centers. He was a legend among the seas. Many believed, others did not, but one thing was certain: everyone would be sure that one day they would find him if they were hunted by him. Trapped in that body, neither alive nor dead, of a reaper, he still sought his revenge, but he also did not live on that alone, helping anyone who paid him more. Beside him were still Choi Chanhee and Kim Sunwoo, firm and loyal to him, not least because, on that crew of that ghost ship, they were the only half-alive ... literally.

**ıllıllı Busan Bay ıllıllı**

From a distance, Captain Bang was able to see his destination island. Through the small telescope, he saw the king himself standing on the bridge that the ship would anchor, personally awaiting his arrival.

It had been a long time since he had worked for a king, but as soon as he received a very generous offer from a man known as King Han of Busan Bay, he could not even refuse. It was by far his most fun job, because unlike all the other times, Chan was not hunting for a traitor, some pirate, a looter, etc. He was looking for a prince.

His eyes shone just by imagining the gold in his hands, weighing with more and more bags from royalty. Bunch of selfish and ordinary ... but at least they paid well.

\- Captain. I hope I don't regret doing business with you. - The king sighed heavily, after all it was his first time in years that he was negotiating with a different species of pirate without shooting him.

\- I also hope. - Chan tooked back where his two men were already carrying some bags of gold as payment in advance for the ship.

The king grits his teeth and then looks at one of his guards, nodding to give him some order. The man in uniform hands Captain Bang a piece of paper with the drawing of his mission there.

\- His name is Han Jisung. He is my son. Bring him alive to me. - He ordered the brunette and looked at him. Chan snickered. He did not take orders, but he liked the character of that king.

\- And how do you know he went to the seas and not to the borders? - He raised his eyebrow as soon as he put the paper in his pocket.

\- Because I know my son well. - Without saying much, King Han just turned his back on the Captain and his guards followed him soon after.

Of course, he knew him - or at least part of him. Jisung knew well that his father would look for him on the land and not in the water, because his mother's killers lived there. But what he did not know was that the king already imagined the daring of the boy.

It was obvious that it had been a trick. Jisung had never fled as far from the kingdom as he did to the coastal bars. And even with the fear of pirates, since childhood he loved the sea, especially when he fled on merchant ships without real permission. The king even thought that his son could not have been less obvious by fleeing just where no one could recognize him, where he owned no land and no one.

Jisung only owned himself.

**ıllıllı Somewhere in the ocean ıllıllı**

Choi Chanhee was six feet tall. Despite looking tall, it was the only thing he had as a defense, since he weighed only fifty-two kilos and barely knew how to fight with swords or a revolver. The black pants stuck to his legs, the white shirt dirty with mud and the red cloth tied around his head, along with some beads in his blond hair were the things that characterized him as a pirate. However, he did not cause any fear even wearing the clothes that would normally make a normal human run.

The poor fellow was right in the center of the ship titled Reaper with a map of the region open in front of him. He looked at each island between Korea and Japan, letting his imagination run wild, waiting for a touch of reality to complete what he was trying to do.

\- You are useless, you know? - Another boy appeared under the deck and Chanhee quickly turned to face Kim Sunwoo sitting next to the mast, on the floor.

At six feet seven, sixteen pounds, Sunwoo was someone that a normal person would be afraid of, even more so in those pirate robes, with a shark’s firm voice and personality. He was deadly if he wanted to, and he might even have no mercy. The day he met his Captain and the other fellow traveler, he could have killed them. But Sunwoo was so drunk after anchoring at Yosu that he chose to ignore the two strangers on the ship. It was certainly better to be with them than with the ignorant Captain who commanded the ship before Chan arrived. Even though he was mortal and independent, he ended up pining the two in that uncertain adventure, even accepting to yield his soul for something greater than himself: magic.

Sunwoo was now there, sitting on the floor facing Chanhee doing his little “ritual” that he always did before looking for a target. He was drunk, as usual. And as always, he laughed at what the shortest did.

\- Useless are you who just drink there. - Chanhee rolls her eyes. The two acted like children when it came to each other, implying here and there. They did not even deserve to be with the most feared man of the seven seas since one was helpless and the other was more of a swept drunk. - At least I find people.

\- Yeah, for me to kill. Find people, I can do it too. - Kim raises his eyebrow and raises his idle hand to fix the hair that fell in his eyes while the other hand, which held the bottle of rum, takes his mouth.

\- Try. - Chanhee drops the map on the floor and then turns to face the youngest, hoping that he will do something more useful than Choi on the boat.

\- Chanhee. Sunwoo. - The reaper’s impatient voice, coming from the stairs that led to the deck, frightens them both and they look at their Captain.

\- Sorry sir. - They say in unison, both lowering their heads when the eldest there near them, straightens his black overcoat with furry edges and removes a paper from his pants, opening and showing the face of those they were looking for there.

\- Can you stop acting like brats and start doing what you do best: looking for people ? - Sighs heavily and grits his teeth. Chan sometimes had to act like an asshole to make his sailors function like normal people, or they would both be fighting like the imbeciles who were without a good leader around.

\- His name is Han Jisung. He's a prince! We captured him and handed him over to the king. Right? - Sunwoo was the one who spoke, looking at the Captain and waiting for a compliment since at least he knew what he had to do. But contrary to what he expected, Chan denied it.

\- Wrong. We will kidnap him and charge a higher price for his head. He’s a prince, Sunwoo. Do you know how much a prince is worth to royalty? Even more now for the king? - Bang was outraged by his two men. He expected more of them since they had been in that ambition for years together and still thought small.

\- What about the king? - Chanhee asks.

\- He's dying. - Chan smiles. - I felt it when I saw him. He's desperate for an heir as much as he needs to get his son back.

The Captain's eyes shone before his men of such minimal thought. He saw profit in that whole mission. Chan often regretted accepting the Witch's proposal that he had met and had saved his life, but at times like that, Bang was grateful to be an ally of the Devil and of death itself, having in hand all the power of a reaper from both the seas and the land.

He was not only a man with a sold soul, but also a terror to anyone who was hunting in those waters. Chan could find whoever he wanted next to Choi Chanhee, and could kill anyone with Kim Sunwoo and the ghost crew on the second floor below the deck.

\- I will look for you now, sir. - Chanhee hurriedly bent down to pick up the map, sitting on the floor facing the bow of the ship.

\- Great. - The Captain says satisfied and looks at Sunwoo, who looks at him too.

\- And me?

\- And you shut up and let Chanhee do his job. He's as useful as you are on the ship, and he knows it. - He spoke firmly and made the drunkard ashamed of his actions.

Chanhee smirked at seeing Kim receive a lecture from the Captain, as he always ended up receiving. It wasn't as if these two hated each other, but there was no reason to like each other either.

When Chan and Sunwoo walked away from Choi, he closed his eyes and straightened up, lifting the map in his hands right in front of him.

Chanhee was the navigator. It was he who was responsible for guiding his Captain to the targets with induction alone. He just closed his eyes and could see whoever he wanted on the map.

Often, Chan himself tried to use the boy's ability with maps to find the pirate who betrayed him and thus find him to win his revenge by killing the man. However, Chanhee was unable to locate the pirate. At first, the Captain thought he was dead, but when he discovered that his reaper skills allowed him to feel someone dead, about to die or alive, he knew it was none of that. There was something about that pirate that made him mysterious, different from the others. Not even magic was able to find it in the seas or the land. It was impossible.

The only way they had to find that man was by chasing him along the routes that Chan knew he always did, or looking for him for the drawings he had made of his face before he was betrayed. Many times they were close to meeting, but both Bang and the man ended up going astray. Perhaps the pirate knew he was being chased. What Chan didn't understand was why he couldn't feel it. No longer.

Chanhee winced. His eyes narrowed and he ground his teeth. The map was beginning to form in his vision and he felt his chest heaving. Magic always came at a price. For Choi, it was all his energy running out each time he used it in those deductions.

Still with his eyes closed, he saw the face of the man they were looking for on a pirate ship. Chanhee smiled when his energy focused on a single part of the map. He then opened his eyes and could see his destination marked with a single X.

\- "In-eo.” - Or translating, “mermaid.” - He’s on a pirate boat. Red Queen.

\- Perfect. - Chan, who was still around the boy, smiled when he heard the name of his next adventure. - It'll be fun. With a somewhat incomprehensible laugh for Choi sitting on the floor, who had already given up trying to understand the Captain, he looked at the man and frowned, wondering where there would be fun on a path made to kill all men and women inside a boat. Chan knew it was the perfect mission the moment his browser gave him a destination and he couldn't help but share what he thought. - It’s good to know that the prince is on an old friend's ship ... I think Minho must be missing me.

Chan turned and walked back to the top of the ship, up the stairs and grabbing his helm to direct them to the Place. It would take a few days to reach the speedy Red Queen. But the Reaper was not just any ship like the others. Why would the Witch give you a slow ship when your goal was to be faster than your victims? Being twice as fast, the pile of boards accelerated when the Captain tightly gripped the tiller in his hands, turning starboard - to the right. His heart was pounding, anxious for that encounter in a place as remote as Ineo Bay, or the home of the Sirens, as many pirates used to call and fear. It was a risk, but it was delicious to take that risk.

And for an immortal, death was a close friend.

Chanhee looked at his Captain from afar one last time before entering the ship's lower deck in search of his beloved net. His body was so heavy that he ended up missing his steps up the stairs when he saw Sunwoo. If it weren't for Kim's sweeping drunk going up - probably to upset him or something - Chanhee would have crashed to the floor.

Sunwoo grabbed the elder, trying to save him from falling. But even for someone so skinny, Kim couldn't take his weight and fell to the floor too. Drunk, it was obvious that he would have no idea of the strength he needed to carry the skinny guy with him.

Chanhee fell over his body. Even conscious, he could barely move his body due to so much tiredness. Sunwoo grunted under the weight of the little man on top of him and started to move to try to get out of there as soon as possible, but even Kim didn't have the strength to do so.

\- Sorry ... - Choi says with a sigh of conscience when he falls asleep involuntarily.

Sunwoo rolls his eyes, giving up the chance of getting drunk under the older one instead. Even for someone small and light, Choi could not be carried by Kim without help.

He even considered calling on his Captain, but Sunwoo did not like to interrupt him, let alone depend on him, no matter how it worked in the seas between a superior and a mere executor.

\- It's OK. - Sunwoo then embraces Chanhee's body and pushes him slowly to his side.

He was so drunk that his stupidity increased a thousand times more. If Kim knew that pushing Choi's body to the side would be easier than trying to get up with him still on top of him, he probably would have dropped him on the floor before.

Sunwoo was already on his feet, wiping his dust-soiled clothes and then continuing on his way out of that floor. However, when he saw Chanhee asleep on those hard and dirty boards, he felt sorry. The boy always did his best to get what the Captain needed and ended up like that: exhausted.

\- You are as useful as I am. - Sunwoo stated after good times denying that fact. He smiled when he saw the face that he found beautiful and even cute from the navigator, admiring it. Chanhee would have loved to hear him talking like that, finally admitting that Choi was more important than he was on the ship. - It looks like an angel...seeping.

He laughs again when he starts to remember how much they both fought over useless things that Sunwoo almost always started. He really was boring when he was and when he wasn't drunk.

As much as it was common to see Choi passed out somewhere on the boat after using magic, that was the first time that Kim Sunwoo lifted him off the ground and started carrying him, taking him to one of the nets on that floor.

Sunwoo laid the older one down and then sat right next to him, putting his arms on Choi's legs to form a kind of Pillow with them so that he could lay his head there.

\- Damn... - Sunwoo muttered to himself when his eyes focused on the sleeping little one. He hated admitting the things he didn't like, especially when those “things” were related to Choi Chanhee.

Kim preferred to hide everything he felt, especially for his eldest. So it was better to tease him than admit that he loved him.


	5. the merman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by: moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish on SpiritFanfic  
> This is just a translation. All credits to all users above.

Still lying in his own bed, Captain Lee let his thoughts run wild about the boy who a few hours ago was lying beside him. He didn't even feel it when Jisung, his newest executor and sexual interest, got out of bed.

Minho's back hurt even more after he slept with the boy shortly after he also slept with Changbin. Still, it felt good. The Captain loved to feel helpless when he was with another man between his legs, making him submissive, but he loved it a lot more when he was the one who put himself between someone else's legs and fucked the rest of the whole day. Of course, even though he loved both ways, Minho always preferred the second, because it was the only time when he was not giving the orders there.

The dark-haired one with light blond tips sat on his own bed and leaned against the headboard, bringing the sheet to wrap up to his waist while staring at the closed cabin door, as if he expected someone to come in at any moment - even Seo Changbin being the only one with permission for such an act, and now this Jisung too, who Minho did not even know his surname.

In fact, he was curious. The boy had talents learned on land that no pirates possessed, except Minho and Changbin and a few others in the middle of the sea. Besides, he was able to read maps, understand the letters on him and, on top of that, have great aim with a gun. Not even Lee would have that good aim to hit a man on a boat with all those waves, wind and the deviation that gunpowder took to get out of the gun barrel.

For the Captain, Jisung was more than just a thief. He was lying and Minno knew that. There was something wrong with that strange guy who made him feel embarrassed and in need of a discovery. His skills were not that of anybody unless he had been a pirate before, however, judging by his lack of understanding on the ship, that was not the option. A bourgeois? A lord? If Minho found out, how much would they pay for his head?

A lot. Minho concluded with a malicious smile on his face: Jisung was worth a lot. He just needed to be sure of the boy’s identity to get what he wanted. But for now, it was going to be quite fun to play with him.

Jisung was in his hammock, enjoying the evening in silence while some of the crewmen were already sleeping a few meters away. He put his hand in his trouser pocket and slowly pulled on a cord with a thick thread and a minimal purple diamond-shaped pendant.

The prince was contemplating his inheritance, the only thing left of his mother at the moment. It was precious not because he had a stone that was worth more than the head of the king, his father, but because Queen Han had left him before his last line of consciousness disappeared and she died in front of him.

When heavy steps from the stairs on that floor startled Jisung, he quickly put his precious cord back in his pocket before anyone saw him holding it. As much as they knew that his fame there was that of a thief, there were others much worse than him who would kill for a piece of stone - or even discover that he is a prince since that stone represented one of the ores that were in his kingdom and was traded only between Bahia itself, being only from that region.

Looking in the direction of the owner of those steps, Jisung realized that it was not one person, but two. Changmin descended in an awkward way until he finally hit the ground and pulled another guy next to him. The second person even surprised Han since before it seemed that the two did not get along very well with each other and the orange haired one had even helped him get the network from the former owner, the Younghoon. Was it so hard to live without having sex in that place to the point of being with anyone?

The other men awake in their hammocks were not even surprised when the two passed by towards the back of the place, with no modesty in showing off their lust. Jisung was once again surprised by the lack of privacy and the normality with which he was dealt with. At least with the Captain, the cabin allowed them to be alone, although Lee was not very good at shutting up when he moaned.

Jisung even let himself smile when he imagined Minho moaning while the crew outside pretended that they didn't care or appreciated, as if it were music; which was really strange and disgusting. But it was funny.

The prince had never imagined himself in a life like that, but at least he had stories to tell when he was older - if he got there since, outside a palace, without eating like a king and without treatments, the death rate was high.

When Jisung thought about that, his head was filled with doubts about the uncertain future that now awaited him inside that ship, after all, for everyone there, death could step on the deck at any time. What he didn't know was that thinking about that metaphor could be as real as he expected, since a reaper had started a hunt against him.

The three days that passed soon after were as fast as the winds that came from the east in that desert region of any land. The sameness became present when each part of Jisung’s time was training with Changbin, who was an executioner every time they talked. If Han could even call "that" conversation.

The executor taught him that his role on that ship was not only to kill, but also to monitor the crew and ensure that everything was in order, according to the Captain's ideals. Other than that, Jisung was cursed for all the names Changbin managed to come up with, which he hated since both were now on the same level and there was no need to continue treating him in such a way. Maybe it was the man's pirate way, but still, Jisung hated him.

Minho had barely appeared during the three days, except when he wanted to take control of the helm and expel the poor heimsman from his place, sending him to clean the deck floor or the floors below them. It was the only time that Jisung and the Captain looked at each other again, but this time, the brunette had an incomprehensible coldness from that look that made the prince wonder if he knew anything about him.

However, Jisung’s paranoia was broken when his newest friend, Changmin, told him that Lee tended to be serious when they were close to their destination, mainly because, in that Bay, the Captain had to be serious and sober enough to cope with any creature in the sea.

Not only him, but the sailors themselves were more tense when they saw the greenish waters and the fog becoming increasingly dense from a distance. Only Changbin did not change his expression much, as he only had that one.

Minho didn't even smile when he finally entered Ineo Bay, also known as Mermaid's Bay due to the immense amount of half-human, half-fish creatures that lived under the bank. Not only were they females, there were also males of the species. All beautiful and a deadly song for anyone on that ship.

Lee grabbed his hat with one hand when a cold wind dared take the heirloom from his head. The men who used to talk to each other even fell silent when the Red Queen was finally swallowed by fog. Minho knew it was a risk, but he needs to take that risk with his crew no matter how much he knew he would lose a good part of it in those waters.

It wouldn't take a few minutes for the fog to clear and all the terror that was to come to a halt, but it was long enough for fifty percent of the men there to be taken by the creatures.

\- Captain. - Seo Changbin and his thick voice break the eminent silence next to Lee and make him turn to look at the little man, giving him permission to speak. - What do we do now?

Minho looked at Changbin with some anxiety. It could both go right and everything could go wrong on that journey and the result of that made him nervous for the first time. It wasn't like they hadn't been there before, but whether or not they got what they wanted was always a question. And in both cases, failure or success, many died. Death has always been the only certainty.

\- We hope. - Lee replied firmly, holding his sword before pulling it from his belt. His ears were alert for any movement that came from the water. - Lower anchor. - He sent the first order directly to Seo.

\- Lower the anchor! - Changbin shouted and the men who were apprehensive on deck were startled, running like cockroaches to do what the Captain ordered.

The sound of the currents was the only ear to enter the water for a few seconds until everything became silent again.

Jisung was close to the main mast, watching the movement of each of these guys closely. He had no idea what to do, how to react, or anything. Everything was so quiet it scared him.

\- That's it? - Someone beside him spoke and then started to laugh, causing others around him to laugh too.

The Captain looked at the owner of the voice with some disdain, as did his executor.

The same man who had spoken earlier, was still laughing near the ship's edge when suddenly, the sound of something moving in the water startled them all.

\- _Shhhh_! - Changbin flinched a little when the noise of the water grew more and more.

Suddenly, the silence on the part of the crew was there again, until suddenly someone was pulled from the ship into the water with a single cry.

Jisung was startled to realize that the man next to him, the one who had started laughing before now was no longer there. He quickly moved away from the tip when everyone looked at the pirate's now empty spot.

The creature must be strong. Pulling someone, especially an adult man, off a ship under water at that speed was almost impossible.

Everyone's eyes went wide and Han swore he was sweating. Everyone else drew their swords, alarming the others to do the same. Now, the noise of the water joined that of the blades of the sailors in the cold wind.

\- Get ready men. The first to capture a mermaid wins a banquet with me, tonight. - Minho smiled as he descended the deck stairs and stood on deck with his sword. - If you survive ... of course. - He laughed, amused, finally showing off that awkward and fun personality he had when he drank. But he was not drunk, which meant that Minho found the situation as amusing as if he had a bottle of rum in his hands.

Jisung looking at it, was confused by the sudden way that the Captain changed his personality so quickly. He was about to walk towards the man, but something jumped over the boat, alarming everyone to look at the figure with swords raised.

\- Why don't we use the nets? - Han questions when seeing how risky it seemed that they just waited for the creature to jump on their swords. - Are you going to barbecue by chance?

\- You're funny. - Minho says as soon as he puts himself on the end of the ship, leaving Jisung worried since he could be the next one to be pulled easily by any creature that was. It still seemed difficult to believe in the existence of a mermaid. - They're smart. Do you think they left the sisters locked up like this without a fight? And worse. Besides... they spoil all of our material, it would be much easier if. ..

\- Minho, watch out! - Changbin, who was about to descend to the deck, near the end of the ship, watched as the green-skinned creature dared to board the ship, in the same direction as its Captain.

The moment Seo screamed and the mermaid looked at him, Changbin felt as if he had lost his own soul. Half of the creature was out of the water, trapped in the ship's woods with huge claws. The color of its skin extended to part of its tail that was in the water. The strands of hair had blonde tones and went to the waist. The eyes looked like a cat's: yellow and diamond-shaped.

Minho looked back and moved away from the edge as soon as Seo shouted at him, realizing how distracted he had been talking to Jisung.

\- That was close. - Changbin calmed down when the woman reentered the water. He sighed heavily and turned towards the Captain to suppress him. - You can't-

It was as sudden as it was the first time the first man was taken. The mermaid’s claws sank into the executor's arms and he didn't even have time to do anything when he was pulled out of the boat and taken to the waters.

\- Changbin! - Minho shouted with wide eyes to see his best friend being pulled. Jisung ran with him to the corner of the ship, being able to see only when a pool of blood started to form in the water and then another figure slowly submerged. - Get out!

Lee screams, pulling Jisung off the edge next to him, both falling backwards with their asses on the ground when another creature passes over them.

Han saw the mermaid’s entire body. The skin was like the water in the place. The scream passed slowly through his ears and left him bewildered, not knowing what was going on.

Suddenly it was not just one, but several jumping from side to side to the boat. Both the cry of the creatures and of the men being carried away grew louder and louder. It was all a mess. Jisung didn't even see when that happened. It looked like this was his deathbed.

Minho soon got up from the floor, pulling Jisung upwards even though he was not in his best condition.

\- Cover your ears! - Minho shouted to the youngest and then as if it were a superhuman reflex, he quickly pulled his sword from his belt and turned, perfectly matching the moment when one of the creatures dared to come out of the water again towards him, cutting it in middle. Red-colored blood splashed across his face, causing him to close his eye in disgust and thus let the monster fall back into the water again.

At that moment, Minho covered his ears when an even greater cry left all the others dizzy, now causing them to fall effortiessly into the waters.

Jisung squeezed his ears tightly even though little sound passed. It was acute and seemed to penetrate his body and brain, causing instant nausea.

He looked around the other men of the crew, covering his ears too, but soon being pulled, helpless by the other mermaids who dared to dig their claws on the side of the ship. When the prince saw what would happen to him, he took his hands from his ear and held the sword, but he was quickly surrendered to that incessant sound. He looked in agony at the others, noticing Changmin still alive among them, shouting even louder for fear. The poor guy didn't even look like a pirate with such a lean body and no strength at all, but he was there with his sword raised, trying to hit whatever it was that tried to get over him - failing miserably. The Ji did not seem to be agonizing by the cry of the creatures. Perhaps because the sound of his voice was louder. Jisung didn't know, but he started screaming too, joining that fight with his friend.

  
The Grim Reaper was approaching the fog as disguised as the other ship in front of them. Captain Bang could hear the screams of the crew from afar. Chanhee and Sunwoo were right in the center, scared with agony, unlike the man in the wheel who was still stable in the face of so much suffering.

\- He is there. Alive. - Chan had just anchored, watching that show for his eyes with a small smile on his face.

\- Shouldn't we bring him soon? - Sunwoo dared to ask and received an angry face from the Captain. - The mermaids ...

\- Why? They are having fun without us. - Bang looked like a sadist talking like that. Not like he wasn't already, but if he really needed all that haste, he would probably be already setting foot on the Red Queen without any fear of the mermaids.

Sunwoo was too worried and for no reason, after all, even though they were a few meters from the other boat, it seemed that they were invisible to the eyes of the other creatures. When Kim looked at his Captain again, he understood why he seemed to fear nothing in that place. Chan's amusement actually seems to be the lives he would earn after seeing Minho's crew smashed into the water.

**[...]** When Changbin felt an indescribable pain in his arms, he wanted to scream, but in a few seconds he was already in the water, being taken so deep that not even he could see. But it was obvious that the executor would not easily give up on his life, not after having fought so hard for it before. The sword was still in its belt. And when he touched her, he pulled with all the strength he had left and aimed the blade at the creature's chest that carried him. In a single cry of pain, the half-fish woman released him, and Seo quickly started to swim out of there before his breath was gone.

When he finally reached the shore again and barely breathed, another creature pulled him under the water by his feet. Changbin opened his eyes, hurting them from the water only to see what prevented him from climbing back to the Red Queen. Perhaps having done that had been a mistake, because when he fixed himself on the creature, he saw the hole of his sword in her chest, but when he looked at the face, he was even more startled when he realized that it was actually a male and that he was about to sing.

Changbin struggled even more, getting enough time to put his face out of the water and start screaming.

\- Help! Someone! - Amid so much noise, his last hope was that someone would hear him before his death came.  
But for the poor executor, it was too late. The creature's singing had invaded his ears and he just gave up fighting. **[...]**

  
When all the rest of the crew realized the tactic that Jisung and Changmin used to prevent the creatures’ high-pitched screams from invading their ears, they started screaming and stopped surrendering to the bugs, further increasing their ire.

Minho had thought it was smart. Even though the number of mermaids passing from one side to the other had increased, the human shouting from their men was like a shield for their deafening voices.

The Captain joined the other men when suddenly he heard a familiar and unmistakable voice from the water. It was Changbin. He was sure. When he stood on the edge of the ship and saw his executor pulled again, Minho had no doubt that he was fighting for his life under all that water.

\- Throw the nets! - He shouted an order to one of the men, who stopped shouting to question why the Captain asked for such a thing if they had already discussed the use of such material before. When Lee did not have his request fulfilled, he even walked up to the sailor and put his sword through his throat.

The man dropped his sword to cover the hole in his throat, but he didn't even have time to do anything when his Captain just kicked him back, causing him to hit the edge and fall into the sea, not long before he was pulled by the mermaids too .

\- The net. _Now_! - He shouted to the others who had been silent, watching that scene with fear, but soon two of them ran to the edge of the bow, where there were fishing nets there and threw them into the sea.

\- Sir... - Changmin said shakily when he noticed a creature right in front of his Captain.

This was different. Her skin was white, her hair was brown and she even had asian features on her face. It was beautiful. The long tail went down the rest of the ship until it touched the water. She put her scaly arms on the edge and just smiled gently at Minho when he turned and noticed the creature there.

Lee's eyes almost locked in front of so much beauty. But he wouldn't fall for the same trick again, especially with a female. Without even thinking, the Captain plunged his sword into the mermaid's abdomen, sinking it hard so that it approached her ear.

\- You should have sent one of your brothers. You know I like males ... - With a small smile, Minho pulled the creature into the ship. The sword stuck in her abdomen was removed as soon as her face started to turn pale and the scales that outlined her arms started to disappear.

Minho then took one last blow, splitting the mermaid in half before his tail became human like the rest of the body.  
He needed only that part and he knew it.

The others looked scared, even when they realized that the sound from the water had stopped the moment Lee stuck his blade in the mermaid's body and killed her.

The Captain just put his blade back and turned back to the edge, now that the two men who had the nets in their hands and were starting to pull something heavy from the sea.

\- We got one! - Another of them shouted, which made Lee smile for the reward to come.

When the net was finally pulled and opened in the center of the deck, everyone could observe the huge creature still alive, struggling with fear and beside it was someone Minho did not expect to be still alive.

Changbin started coughing up water, throwing himself on his side and clenching his fists with the pain that came from his arm.

-Good job, Changbin. As expected of you. - Minho was already pulling his blade again to pierce the creature when Seo quickly put himself in front of him and stopped him.

\- Wait!

Changbin screamed and Minho looked at him as he had never done before. Lee loved Seo's boldness, but not when he tried to stop him from something, disregarding his desire.

\- Sir... - One of the men spoke looking frightened at the animal behind Changbin.

Jisung's eyes widened even more when he saw the creature half man and half fish becoming just human right in front of everyone there. It was as unreal as before. He didn't even know what to believe anymore.

Minho glared at his executOr, hoping for a good excuse not to kill him and the creature right there.

\- He saved my life. - Changbin seemed to be serious while some men started laughing at him. Looking at his Captain, he hoped the man would accept that excuse of not killing his savior, even if it was for that idea that they were there now: to kill. Changbin at least expected understanding from someone who knew what it was like to have your life saved by someone else...or something.

\- You'll die anyway. - Lee pushed the executOr in front of him and walked towards the merman, smiling at having to kill two at once, while the other just walked away with one hand on his chest, containing the bleeding wound that Seo himself had done there.

\- Wait! - Changbin interrupts him again. - T-they’re worth more. - “Value.” It was all Seo needed to stop his Captain from driving that sword into the creature's neck. - I know someone who would pay tons and tons of gold for you, Captain. If I bring a merman alive ...

Minho then smiled even bigger. He put his sword in his belt and turned to the executor lying on the floor.

\- So you better keep that newt alive until then or I'll kill you myself. - The Captain then turned to the rest of his crew, which he was not left with now, and sighed tiredly. - Lift the anchor out of here. You know what to do with the rest. Put this hell creature behind bars before he runs away and I have to kill my best executor.

Lee took one last look at the merman on his way before completely ignoring him and walking between him and his executor in the direction of his cabin, where he would probably lock himself up for the rest of his trip.

The merman was still scared, looking at his sister cut in half right next to him, just hoping that this was not his destiny either.

\- Everything's going to be okay, okay? - The speaker was Changbin, but this one also scared him as much as the Captain of the ship.

Gradually, the rest of the men left in the Red Queen began to collect the remains of the dead mermaid from there, throwing only their human part back into the water and leaving their tail in a bag made of thick lines, dragging everything under the deck.

Changbin stood up in pain when he saw two other men approach his newt and try to carry him to the top floor of the ship, but he snarled at both of them.

\- Wait... - Seo spoke and then offered his hand to the creature. - I'll take him.

Jisung, seeing the scene and repairing both bleeding arms, got in the middle of the two.

\- I want to help. Your arm... - He looked through the torn shirt and how deep that scratch was and made a face, seeing that it was worse than he imagined.

\- What do you understand about healing? - This time he didn't curse Han. Changbin just busied himself with bringing the merman’s naked body onto his lap while he turned to Jisung and followed seriously under the deck.

\- I-I... - Jisung wanted to talk as much as he knew. How good he was in the medical field when he still had his mother around and the thousandth times he had to fend for himself when he got hurt outside the kingdom, but he couldn't tell anything, especially to that guy. - I know some things ...

\- Weren't you just a thief?

“ _Shit_...", he thought. Changbin was not easy to fool with his bedtime stories. He was also too smart to believe Jisumg's words. But Seo had no choice.

\- You're hurt, Changbin. And this one ... - He looked at the man on the executor's lap and tried to call him something, but nothing came into his mind. Jisung just followed the older one down the stairs from the floor that led to the mini-prison under the ship with just a few cells. - Anyway...you need help. I want to help.

Seo looked Han up and down and sighed mockingly. He wanted to be able to refuse the request for help, especially from someone he despises so much, but he was not in a position to say no now.

Chan was lurking far away now, watching his victim move further and further away on that ship while he seemed to be just relaxing.

Chanhee was confused. All the work he had done behind that prince had been thrown away since the moment he saw his Captain just watch the disaster that had occurred at the Red Queen while the creatures from the water seemed to be around the Reaper in fear.

Feeling scorned, Choi walked in heavy steps towards the Bang, climbing the deck stairs to face the man who was still standing at the helm, watching the other ship gradually disappear into the fog.

\- What is it, Chanhee? - Chan looked bored at the youngest.

\- They were right there, sir... I-I found him...

\- I know that and you did a great job. - Bang said and then tightened his grip on the rudder, making the ship start to cut the waters quickly. - But I realized something else.

He smiles, leaving his browser confused.

\- What?

\- If I bring the prince now, Minho will not find out who he is.

\- And what about it? - The skinny man frowned. It was difficult at times to understand your Captain's logic.

\- I think I know why I felt that the king was close to dying. - Chan smiled even more. He really seemed to enjoy death shows. It was no wonder that he was the real reaper. - I bet Minho would love to meet the heir of his father's killer.  
Apparently the prince’s head is worth a lot more now.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I translate so i hope i can do a good work. English is not my first language but I'll try to do a great work.  
> All credits to: moonwish, Love_SugaMon and sunwish on SpiritFanfic


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